Light and Dark
by Bookreader777
Summary: As young girl, Jasmine Quinn has been expected to follow in her parents', Joker and Harley's, footsteps of trying to take down Batman and cause havoc to Gotham. However, as she has grown older, she has realized that this is not the path she wants to take. When a surprise entrance from Nightwing causes the two to meet, her whole world begins to change. *Set before Arkham Asylum*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _*Another boring day in my boring room. Excellent.*_ A girl with light brown hair and blue-green eyes thought to herself. Jasmine Quinn was currently lying across her floor, shuffling a deck of cards rather expertly, since this was one of the few things she could do in her room. There was no one with her, since her two diabolical parents were off causing havoc in Gotham and she was all alone. Her parents didn't want anyone to know her true identity as their child just yet. However, there she had reason to believe that the day she would be revealed was coming soon.

Sighing, Jasmine sat up, setting the deck of cards on her desk. She pulled the top card off and looked to it, a small smile coming across her lips. The Ace of Spades, her favorite card. Studying it for a moment, she then placed it between her fingers and threw it. The card whirled through the air, curving slightly as it shit towards a dart board. One of the edges embedded itself into the bull's eye and she yawned as she walked over to it. The card had metal, bladed edges, so it was similar to throwing a knife. It was one of the many weapons she had been trained to use.

Jasmine pulled the card out and returned to the desk, setting it on the top of the deck once again. The girl then looked at the time. 12:17 a.m. * _I might as well go to bed. I have nothing else to do*._ She thought to herself, walking over to her closet. She pulled out a red tank top and black running shorts and tossed them on the bed. Her back faced the door as she tugged her shirt and shorts off, letting the clothing drop to the ground.

Looking over, she inspected herself in a nearby mirror. Her skin was fair, and her body thin, but also well-toned. She stood at 5'4, so she was about as tall as the average girl. Her light brown hair fell in light waves just past her shoulder blades. On her body were silvery almost invisible scars. They were hardly raised and everywhere along her back and a few along her forearms. Jasmine knew for a fact that there was more than just a dozen. There were actually over a hundred of the scars, though it was very likely for someone not too notice them at a first glance at her back. They were of such an abundance that her back almost seemed to be the silvery colors of the scars. If someone were to look a bit closer, however, they would see the slightly tanner parts of her skin that was unmarked, almost like a spider web. Tearing her gaze away from the mirror, she then gave a yawn and stretched, placing her arms behind her head as she arched her back. It was then that she heard her door creak.

Freezing, Jasmine blinked for a moment before looking over her shoulder. She was supposed to be without company so when she met the white eyes of a man with black hair and flushed cheeks, she was rather surprised. He wore a black suit with a blue 'V' across his chest. His mask was also black and his eyes were covered on the outside with a glowing white light, hiding his eye color. Jasmine had never seen the hero in person before, having been locked away in houses all her life, but even she knew who it was. Her parents had discussed him on a few rare occasions. Nightwing. The shock took a moment to pass, and when it did her cheeks flushed a dark pink as she became very aware that she was only in her deep red bra and underwear. Quickly, Jasmine snatched a robe and wrapped it around her body.

"W-What the hell?!" She shouted at him, moving to her desk and taking the Ace of Spades between her fingers once again, her cheeks burning in embarrassment.

Nightwing's face turned a darker shade of red, though he seemed to be studying her. When she had taken the card, he seemed to scowl before pulling his escrima sticks out and moving into an attacking position.

"So…I'm guessing you're Harley's personal henchman?" He asked then seemed to straighten up from his stance a bit. "Er…hench _woman_." Nightwing seemed to correct. Jasmine couldn't help but roll her eyes at what he said.

"Yes. I am one Harely's henchmen, considering I'm changing my clothes and Harley isn't here." She said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest, still rather embarrassed at him almost seeing her naked.

"Even villains need to change." He sneered.

"For being some big shot superhero, you aren't exactly the most polite, are you?" She huffed, mostly to get under his skin. "I didn't even get an apology."

"Villains don't deserve a gentlemen." Nightwing growled, "They especially don't deserve apologies."

Jasmine raised a slender eyebrow. "I'm not a villain. You walked in on an innocent girl as she was trying to change." She spoke up, which rather close to being the truth. The worst thing she had done in her life was break her parents out of prison here and there. Though, she supposed that was just about as bad as killing someone, since that's what happens when the two are loose in Gotham.

Seeming a bit annoyed, Nightwing then spoke up, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who are you?" He asked lowly, causing Jasmine to give a small smirk. It was such a generic question. She was almost expecting something much grander from some big shot hero.

"Tell me, Nightwing. Why should I tell you my identity? If you want to know so much, wouldn't it be wise for me not to say, considering that may keep you from attacking?" She pointed out to him with an amused light in her eyes, "Trying to beat the answer out of me is rather useless. Pain won't make me speak up. So what do you plan to do?" She said with a small smile, now just toying with him. Jasmine twirled the card between her fingers, studying the masked hero before her. Her parents would be pissed if they ended up figuring out he was here. Really, she should be fighting him and trying to imprison him for the benefit of her parents. However, she has heard enough about him to know better than to get in a fight with the guy. She knew martial arts, how to throw her bladed cards, and fight with two whips, but in all honesty, that probably wouldn't even come close to his skills. Not only that, but Jasmine had absolutely no motivation to fight for her parents.

Nightwing gave a shake of his head after she spoke about her identity, "I need to determine if you're a villain or not." Nightwing pressed a button on his escrima sticks, the ends lighting up with electricity, "Your identity determines who I am to you." He growled. Jasmine noticed how his eyes flickered to her cards.

"Get those from Joker?" Nightwing asked, "I remember using those for my training. Always the easiest to break." He sneered, "Now tell me." Nightwing said in a deeper voice, "Who. Are. You?"

Jasmine glanced down at the Ace of Spades she had been twirling between her fingers before giving a shrug at his question about her father. "Perhaps." She answered with a small smile. As he switched to the deeper "I mean serious shit" voice, she gave a small laugh. "I'm the girl you so rudely walked in on." She spoke up before sighing softly as she studied him with a small tilt of her head. She really didn't see the point in telling him she wasn't a villain considering she has been without him believing her. Besides, it was much more fun to mess with the guy.

Nightwing let out a sarcastic laugh, "Yet, you're smack dab in the middle of Joker's place, but you're not dead, nor are you beaten. Either you're a villain, or...nothing." He said, frowning as he said the last word, looking to be in thought.

At what he said, Jasmine averted her eyes from him and fixed her gaze on the wall. "Go with nothing. Concerning your databases, I don't exist." She said rather sharply, though she wasn't completely sure why. Perhaps it was the fact that he had called her nothing…and she realized that it, in a way, was true. No one knew she existed except her parents, Joker and Harley Quinn, and maybe a few selected others. However, these selected others never lived for very long. Her identity was kept hidden from the world. Hell, she probably didn't even have a birth certificate. Hearing the sound of Nightwing's sigh pulled her from her thoughts, and Jasmine looked over.

"We have two options here. You tell me who you are, or I find out the hard way." Nightwing spoke up in a growl.

"Right. Next time you'll take pictures of my body, and look that up to see if they match up with any of the other girls you have probably walked in on." She smirked at him before walking to her desk and setting the bladed card down. If he hadn't attacked her in all of this time, then he probably wasn't going to attack her now. Not only that, but it wasn't as though the bladed card would do anything against him. It had simply been a defensive reaction when he came in. Jasmine didn't really care what Nighting decided to do at this point.

"If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly do things like this very often. I'm not one to walk in on women as they change." He spat at her, clearly annoyed, which amused Jasmine all the further. He seemed rather easy to annoy, though she was also dancing around his question, which she knew could get very annoying, very fast. It wasn't like she was just going to tell him what he wanted though. She had her own secrets.

An idea suddenly came to Jasmine and she picked up a regular deck of cards and spun on her heels. She made her way up to Nightwing till they were about chest to chest. She noticed him stiffen at how close they were, and held back a small smile at his reaction. She found it amusing, considering she wasn't even armed and he completely had the upper hand considering his electric escrima sticks. Lightly, she tapped his chest with her pointer figner and gazed up at him, meeting his eyes, though their color was hidden behind the mask.

"Relax Hero. I'm not going to assault you." She said with a small laugh.

"I never relax." He responded curtly and she gave a small roll of her eyes.

"That's right. Big strong heroes can never let their guard down." She smirked, "Anyways, I'll make you a deal. If you beat me in the card game Speed, I'll tell you who I am. If not, then you can slave away trying to figure out just _who_ the hell I am. Let me tell you now that I'll be basically impossible to find." She said, plucking out a strand of her hair and handing it over without a care. Since there weren't any files on her anywhere, even Batman's databases wouldn't know who she was. Jasmine supposed they could try to do some kind of DNA scan, but they would include a hair sample from one of her parents as well to see if the two match. Taking all of this into consideration, she concluded that the probability of Batman or Nightwing figuring out her identity based on this small sample would be useless, taken that Nightwing and Batman are actually working together.

"Here big shot. I invite you to waste hours of your time searching." She said with a confident smile. Now that she was actually up close, she could study him a bit more. It was evident that he was handsome even with his mask covering his eyes. He stood rather tall, perhaps 5'10 or 5'11 if she were to guess. He had a serious frown on his lips and his whole body was tense, which could easily be evaluated by the way he kept shifting forward to the balls of his feet and the way his muscles were bunched up in his arms, even though he had them crossed.

"Just one game. I promise it takes less than two minutes" She offered with a wide smile when he remained silent after a few seconds. Yes, perhaps the offer was immature, but it wasn't like she was just going to give him what he wanted. Not only that, but she was rather bored, and never got much company. Even if it was Nightwing and he seemed rather cold, it wasn't as though he was a bad guy. He was a hero. Despite these small aspects, she had a feeling he wouldn't take up her deal and simply take her hair strand.

"It's too bad I don't have two minutes." Nightwing spoke up, taking the strand of hair she had offered. In response, Jasmine simply gave a small shrug and smile since she had called it. She tried to tell him. There was no way he was going to find her on his databases. Though, she supposed trusting the daughter of two major villains in Gotham wouldn't exactly be a good move on his part, even if she was telling him the truth.

"I'll make a different deal with you." He said, which actually surprised Jasmine. She had expected him to leave right away, considering he got what he wanted, "If you tell me your name now, just your first name, I'll come back and take up the challenge in beating you in that card game tomorrow night." He offered, which made Jasmine purse her lips in thought, her blue-green eyes shifting to that of suspicion. * _Why would he return for that reason?_ *

While Jasmine knew she probably shouldn't even mention her name to him, the thought that someone other than her parents was going to see her was rather tempting. It wasn't like her parents were exactly good company, and she preferred to stay away from them anyways. A pathetic reason, she knew, but a very real one. It wasn't exactly her fault that she was terribly lonely. Giving a small tilt of her head, her blue-green eyes began to shimmer faintly in amusement.

"So, you _do_ know how to flirt." She spoke up teasingly before tossing the deck of cards over onto the desk before propping a hand on her hip as she studied him.

"That wasn't me flirting. Trust me, if I were trying to flirt, you would know," Nightwing answered, surprising Jasmine by giving a slight arrogant side smile.

"Would I now?"

"Of course you would. I'm good at it, like most things I do, so it would be rather easy to pinpoint."

"Well, your arrogance is definitely easy to pinpoint." She smirked slightly.

"I don't express myself in arrogance. Just in well known facts that people tend to overlook if I don't remind them."

"Sure you do," She said with a small laugh, glancing up at him from under her eyelashes, "Well, as for the card match, there won't be anything on the line if I tell you my name. But if you are so keen on coming to see me again, then fine. I'm Jasmine, but you can call me Jazz." She said, giving him a genuine smile before moving past him and opening the door, indicating for him to leave, "Now go so I can undress into clothes to sleep in." Jasmine told him, leaning back on the door frame and crossing her arms over her chest. To tell the truth, she was actually finding herself looking forward to tomorrow night coming up, even if Nightwing hadn't been the nicest company for the duration of the time he has been around. He seemed to have a rather big attitude change near the end after seeing that she wasn't hostile, having converted to serious coldness to arrogance.

"Jasmine…" She heard Nightwing murmur to himself as if thoughtfully. However, the moment didn't last long before he turned and walked to the door. He paused just as he was about to step out and turned his gaze to her. "Jazz, if you try to do some type of ambush tomorrow night, I'm not afraid to take you out. I hope you know this." He said to her lowly, returning to how he was when he first showed up.

"Yeah, sure," Jasmine sighed, having thought they were already past this, "Just don't walk in on me changing again, and I think we'll be good." She snickered, stepping away from the door frame and into her room. Surprisingly, a small smile curved at the edges of his lips, so faint she almost thought she didn't see it. Then, he left and closed the door behind him.

Blinking for a moment to get over her shock at seeing the slight smile Nightwing had shown, she then pushed herself away from the spot she had been rooted in. She had expected him to show some kind of annoyance to her bringing up that subject again, but instead he seemed amused. A light smile came over her and she glanced around the room. Now everything seemed normal, as though nothing had just happened. However, things weren't always as they seemed. Falling back on her bed, Jasmine stared up at her ceiling, a smile coming over her. She had a feeling that things were about to change, and they all revolved around that boy, though she couldn't begin to anticipate what would change and the impact this change would cause.

While Jasmine had been set on sleeping just moments before Nightwing showed up, she now felt a familiar itch in the fingertips of her left hand. Sitting up, she reached over to her dresser and moved a few note covered books before taking out a rather big sketchbook. Opening it up, she was met with pictures of a cat, alleyway views she has seen throughout her life, and numerous other pictures that people would probably consider random. Many were of an Asian woman, and only a couple was of her parents.

Opening it up to a fresh blank page, Jasmine reached over once more and grabbed a mechanical pencil then stared at the sheet. Already, she had in her mind what she wanted to draw. All she needed to figure out now was how to start it. Taking a small extra moment, she then pressed the tip of her pencil against the page and began. It was easy for her to get lost in the curves and lines of the picture as it slowly began to become a reality on her page. By the time she was finished, the side of her left hand was covered in lead that had rubbed off on it, and her pointer finger looked metallic by rubbing the lead as well to give a shadowed impression since she didn't have a shading tool to blur lines. Scrutinizing her work took about an extra hour of careful erasing and redrawing, however, when it was done, she held it up with a small smile.

* _It doesn't look too bad._ * She thought to herself before setting it aside and standing up. She drew her robe off of herself and hung it back up before pulling on the red tank top and black running shorts she had gotten out earlier to sleep in. Once she had the items of clothing on, she yawned and stretched her arms over her head before returning to her bed. She sat at the edge and glanced at her picture once more. Pursing her lips for a moment, she took it back into her hands.

"Forgot something." She murmured to herself, taking her pencil and writing down something small in the lower right-hand corner. She then closed the sketchbook and returned it to its place on her nightstand. She was just about to curl beneath the covers of her bed, when the phone rang. It was a simple landline phone in her room. The phone itself couldn't be traced. At least, not easily. However, these calls always meant one thing, and she groaned softly to herself before rising to her feet and answering the phone. Her voice on the other end was altered, so the person wouldn't know who they were speaking to at all.

"Your assistance is required, Spade."

"Where?"

"Black Gate."

With this information, Jasmine simply hung up the phone then went to her dresser and opened compartment in her wall and stared at the contents before reaching towards them.

"Here we go."

 **Thanks for reading Chapter 1 of Light and Dark. I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **-Bookreader777**

 ***all characters and ideas belong to DC except for Jasmine, though she was completely based off of DC characters and story lines***


	2. Chapter 2

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 2

Joker and Harley Quinn sat in their prison cell at Black Gate with extra guards watching just to be sure nothing went wrong. It seemed to be that every time a villain such as Joker was put into jail, they managed to get out not too long afterwards. Knowing this, the smirks the two evildoers were giving made the guards rather uneasy and left wondering if they had a trick up their sleeve, or were simply trying to intimidate them. After a few hours, however, they soon grew bored, deciding it was probably nothing. That is, until two smoke balls rolled in and expelled black smoke, making it hazy.

As the guards rose in alarm, a figure slipped in. They were clad in a raven black cloak, and with the smoke, seeing the individual was rather difficult. Two whips suddenly uncoiled from the shadowed person's hands. The weapons lashed out at the guards, wrapping around their wrists and throwing them into walls and each other, causing Joker and Harley to laugh. It didn't take too long to take the guards out. It was obvious this person was trained to attack in such a way. Their skill with the two whips was almost beautiful to watch. Like a deadly dance. Once the job was finished, the individual recoiled their whips and bent down over an unconscious guard, taking the cell keys from their pocket.

"Excellent job! Now get us out!" Joker ordered, leaning against the steel bars that kept him imprisoned. Harley let out a gleeful giggle beside him, a wide smile on her lips.

A soft sigh could be heard from the figure as they straightened up, the keys jingling faintly in their hand. Looking up, the two villains could see the face of their rescuer, though they already knew who it was. The face was obviously feminine. Strands of dark green hair escaped from the confinement of the hood, and the woman's eyes were a reddish hazel. There was almost reluctance in her as she walked to Joker and Harley, using the keys she took to unlock them from their prison. Stepping back, she let Harley and Joker saunter up, taking an Ace of Spades and tossing it into the cell. It landed face up and she turned to the former prisoners.

"I brought an escape vehicle for us to take." She spoke up and the two grinned.

 **OoO**

Sitting in her room, Jasmine thought back to what she had done last night somberly. It wasn't anything she was proud of, and really, she quite disliked the fact that she had done it not only once, but has multiple other times as well. There was once a time where she would have taken pride in her actions. However, that was a very, very long time ago, and she no longer felt any pride. Only disgust, and along with that disgust, a sense of helplessness.

It probably wouldn't come at any surprise to hear that her childhood hasn't been exactly wonderful. It wasn't as though her parents have been loving and supportive throughout her life. Joker and Harley wanted her to do as they had "raised" her to do, not what _she_ wanted. There had always been the goal of raising her a certain way and with a specific mindset. What Jasmine wanted was never a consideration. To them, she was an object, not a being. At least, to Joker she was definitely more of an object than anything. Harley always seemed to have a small kind of soft spot for her and would buy her books here and there, but she never really expressed too much affection either.

Pulling from her thoughts, Jasmine got to her feet, and walked to a hidden closet. As she opened it, she hung up the cloak then stepped back, gazing at the green wig, black cloak and two whips. Much like how Batman and Nightwing were living a double life, so was she. The other part of her was called Spade, based on the suite "spades" in a deck of cards. Spade was the weapon her parents had created. She was supposed to be able to stand up to Robin, at least a little bit, in combat. With Jasmine's counterpart, they hoped to finally achieve some schemes they have cooked up. However, breaking her parents out of jail has been the only technically illegal thing she has done. They were planning on revealing Spade to the world sometime soon, believing her to be ready to join them. At least, this was what Jasmine assumed.

Already, her parents were out doing who knows what to Gotham. She was, once again, confined to the house, which meant she would spend her time in her room. With a small sigh, she pulled on a black tank top and dark gray running shorts. After, she lied back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, a bad feeling stirring in the pit of her stomach. She knew with her parents loose on Gotham, innocent people get hurt and even die. It wasn't as if Jasmine liked this. In fact, she didn't like it at all. It was just that this was the life she was meant to lead. The life of darkness, and evil deeds. There has never been another option for her, and the thought of another possible future had long ago been crushed.

Suddenly, her door slowly began opening, causing her to immediately look to it, tensing up. "Jazz?" A soft voice spoke up, which she recognized immediately. A small smile came over her. She had completely forgotten. Nightwing had said he would come back last night when he had snuck in. It looks like he kept his word. "My eyes are closed so I can't see you if you are changing." He added soon after, making her give a small laugh.

"You're clear, but thanks for the consideration." She responded, sitting up as he came into the room. She noticed how he had one of his escrima sticks in his hand, but didn't make a comment about it. There really wasn't any need to, considering it would make sense as to why he would be cautious. She leaned back against the bed frame behind her, glancing over at her small window with an almost faraway look in her eyes, still bothered by what she had done last night. _Does Nightwing have an idea it had been me?_ She thought to herself with a small frown. _Surely not. He doesn't even know who I am._ Jasmine reassured herself in her head, though a part of her remained skeptical.

Nightwing gave a small smile at what she said before walking forwards, seeming to be rather wary as he did. Pulling from her thoughts, Jasmine returned her eyes to him, watching as he approached her. In case he wanted to sit, she drew her legs up, but he remained standing, probably to see professional, though she could care less about how he presented himself.

"I know who you are." He said, clearing his throat for a moment before speaking up.

"Do you? Did your databases tell you from my hair sample?" Jasmine asked, raising her eyebrows in question. While she was pretty sure that he didn't find anything on her, he did just say that he knew who she was. Of course, it was very likely that he had simply figured it all out on his own. Given her location, it wouldn't be too hard to figure it out.

"No. You were correct about that. The database wasn't of any use. However, there was something I noticed about you when I was here. You look a lot like Harley and Joker in some aspects. Not only that, but you live here and claimed not to be a henchwoman or a prisoner. I used common sense to come to the conclusion." He answered, making Jasmine give a small smile.

"Good job. I applaud your detective work. You're right. I'm Jasmine Quinn, daughter of Harley and Joker." She said and he gave a small smug smile before straightening up, looking all serious once again.

"I know who your parents are and what they stand for, but what I need to know is who you are, and what you stand for. If you are a villain like your parents, then I will be going and hope to never see you on the streets, since you seem nice. However, if you're good, then we can continue this…friendship. It all depends on who you are." He said to her before giving a frown and meeting her eyes. "Don't lie about it, either. Trust me, I don't like liars." He said lowly.

"You are very black and white, Nightwing." Jasmine began with a soft sigh, "To be bad or to be good. Everyone has a bit of bad in them and a bit of good. Sometimes, good people do bad things, and even bad people do good things every once in a while. To only be one or the other, well, that isn't exactly possible." She said and he seemed to pause for a moment. She studied him for a moment as he pondered, narrowing her eyes slightly as she did. Did he honestly believe that she had some kind of choice to stand up for what she believed in? That she could actually be herself?

"Then let me rephrase. What path do you plan to lead? One with bad intentions or one with good intentions?"

At this question, it was Jasmine's turn to pause, frowning. A small shadow passed over her eyes and she glanced away, her eyes becoming distant again as she stared to the side. _What path do I plan to lead?_ She mused to herself in her thoughts. There has ever only been one path for her, and that was the one her parents paved. All expectations about her were to be like them. Another Harley Quinn and Joker. And yet, she didn't enjoy fighting for the sole purpose of bringing pain and havoc to others, let alone assisting her parents with anything. She gave up the idea of another path a long time ago. She didn't really have any choices to make. It was already made up for her. Despite this, she wanted to explain her predicament to Nightwing with hopes that he will understand. She didn't want to be some evil, murderous being. It was just her destiny. Her expectation. Her fate.

"Have you ever been expected to be something all your life? Trained and raised to be a certain way, and you just can't seem to follow it? Or want to? And yet, everyone has a certain expectation, and it traps you into taking this path that you would rather avoid." Jasmine spoke up solemnly, a sad light coming into her eyes before she shifted her eyes over to Nightwing, "And despite not wanting to have any part in it, you lost any hope in finding a way out."

The hero seemed almost at a loss for words as he stared at her. Because she could not see his eyes, it was rather hard to read him. However, he didn't seem angry or disappointed. If anything…it was almost as if he was more so stunned about something that she couldn't place her finger on. It was then that he put the escrima stick in his hand away and sat beside her on the bed. The glowing white that were his eyes locked on her, and she found herself trapped under his gaze.

"You are not your parents, Jasmine. Your life isn't sentenced to go down a certain path. You get to choose who you want to be, and what you want to do. Don't start thinking for a second that you don't have a choice in the matter. You have free will, Jasmine. No one can take that away from you." He said to her, the sincerity in his voice making her catch her breath. It was as though he actually comprehended her situation, but instead of agreeing, he spoke to her about the opposite.

"You speak as though you understand what I'm feeling." She whispered softly and he was silent for a moment, as if contemplating what to say.

"Let's just say I was in a situation similar to yours, though not exactly the same." He responded carefully.

It was hard to imagine Nightwing being in such a predicament. So much, in fact, that it could be pushed aside as clever wordplay. However, Jasmine didn't question it for a second. She could hear the honesty in his voice. He was being completely genuine. And yet, it was almost hard to believe his words. All her life, she has believed that she had to be her parents. She had locked away any thoughts of getting a new path. Now he was saying the complete opposite, and opening a locked gate, and showing her that she _didn't_ have to become what she was brought up to be. * _Is something like that…even possible for someone like me?_ *

"I don't want to be like my parents. Even the thought of doing the things they do makes me feel almost sick to my stomach." She said quietly, glancing down for a moment.

"Then don't be like them." He responded, then gave her a true, genuine smile and rested a hand on her shoulder. The touch caught her a bit by surprise and she glanced up at his hand before relaxing under the contact. It had been a while since she had such a…casual and friendly interaction. She simply wasn't used to it.

"I promise I'll get you out of this. In fact, there may be another option for you already." Nightwing spoke up. Hearing this, Jasmine's eyes widened and she met his gaze once again.

"Really?" She asked and he nodded.

"I can't give you the details just yet. I need to speak with Batman, but I'll come back tomorrow to discuss it with you." He said to her firmly. At his words, Jasmine felt her heart race in excitement, and a swell of something filled her. It had been a while since she felt its uplifting sensation. Hope. For so many years, she had simply been hopeless, and accepted her terrible fate. Now she was being offered an alternative.

* _Finally an escape._ * She thought to herself then smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'll be waiting tomorrow night then." She said to him.

It was then that the sound of a door closing caught her attention. Her eyes snapped away from Nightwing and towards her open door as her parents' voices echoed throughout the house. She cussed under her breath then got to her feet, rushing to the window in her room and opening it. Thankfully, it was a rather big window. Enough so that Nightwing shouldn't have that much difficulty getting through it. He had followed her over nimbly, so much so that she hadn't even heard his footfalls, which was impressive. Since there was simply an alleyway outside of her window, it would be easy disappear.

"I should be back around the same time tomorrow." He said quickly, staring at her for a moment longer before turning to the window and making his escape. He jumped from the window and landed to the ground in a crouch before running into the depths of the alleyways and melding into the shadows, as though he were one himself.

Quickly, Jasmine closed the window, locking it and jumped onto her bed. She pulled a book out and opened it up as though she had been reading right as her parents waltzed in, complaining about Batman, as they usually did. However, the fact that they had come into her room was new. Typically they stayed out of it. So, she closed her book and set it aside, soon getting off of her bed and facing them, clasping her hands behind her back tightly.

"Jasmine! Would you like to join us for some… _fun_ …tomorrow night?!" Joker asked with a dark smile, giving Jasmine the hint that it probably revolved around another devious plan to take down Batman. However, what really confused her was that she was never really invited to do such things before.

"After doing such a good job last night in breaking us out of prison, we decided that you are finally ready!" Harley chimed in gleefully.

"Oh, I'm not nearly as prepared to take on such a…daunting task." She spoke up, feeling a bit nervous about where this was going. This meant that they were finally ready to expose Spade to the world, as she has been assuming for a while now. However, with this coming new option Nightwing has brought up, there was a chance she could abandon her title as Spade.

"Nonsense! We've invited you, dear daughter!" Joker exclaimed then narrowed his eyes, though his dark smile remained. "You do want to go, don't you?"

Jasmine remained silent for a moment, feeling a bit of fear rise up in her, since there was no way she was leaving to go help them tomorrow. "Actually, I would rather not." She said before swallowing hard.

"Don't tell me you're scared!" Her father said venomously, though he was still giving his dark smile as he began to stalk forwards, only for Harley to catch his arm to stop his advance.

"Puddin', perhaps in a few days she will be ready." Harley spoke up, meeting Jasmine's eyes. "Isn't that right, darlin'?"

"Yes. A few days. I just need time to prepare myself." Jasmine answered quickly, thanking her mother silently in her head for once.

Joker glared at Jasmine for a moment before stepping back and began to walk out of her room. "Fine! You will join us in a few days to take down Batman then! We'll be an unstoppable trio of destruction! Can you imagine it now, Harley?!" He said, letting out a crazed laugh as he left, Harley hurrying out after him with small giggled..

At their exit, Jasmine sat back on her bed, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She was starting to fear that if she was still here and refused to be what her father wanted her to be, then things would begin to end badly. Already, tension was building up, and this was her first refusal.

 _*Please hurry to get me this option, Nightwing. I'm not sure how much longer my father is going to wait.*_


	3. Chapter 3

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 3

"Come on, Bruce."

"No."

Dick Grayson walked beside his former mentor. As of now, he was staying at Wayne Manor, though he planned on leaving soon. He had just been here to help Bruce with a complicated case, and then he planned on returning to Bludhaven. It wasn't that it he didn't enjoy being back in Gotham and the place where he spent most of his childhood. It was simply that he had his own town to look after, and really, he rather liked working independently. There were times he did like to team up with Bruce again, which led him to return to Gotham if his mentor needed the help.

The case itself involved Joker and Harley Quin, but then again, there was rarely a case in Gotham that _didn't_ involve the two criminals. It wasn't that they were causing just one giant epidemic of chaos, they were causing numerous and in quick succession. It was causing people of Gotham to panic since they didn't know where or when the two psychopaths would strike next, but knew it would be sometime that day, and then the next day. The discovery of a secret house thought previously to be abandoned was what led him to finding Jasmine. During the time, Bruce had been watching over Gotham to intercept Harley and Joker, and take them down to stop their plans. Dick had been looking for any signs of where they planned to make their appearance.

Finding Jasmine had not been something Dick had expected. Especially as she was changing, which had been an honest mistake. The girl intrigued him that first night. At first, she simply just pissed and annoyed him, but there had been something about her that was…different. When he returned the night after that having come to the conclusion about her identity, he had wanted to be wrong. A daughter of Joker and Harley Quin...the very thought of it sounded messed up. A child being raised by those two wouldn't come out well. They would be a heartless killer who enjoys shedding blood for no apparent reason. Their morals would be based off of nothing, since Joker hardly has morals, if he even has any. When he got an entirely different girl than the one he envisioned, well, that just peaked his interest. There was no way Jasmine Quin should have any good intentions based on her upbringing. However, while he couldn't explain how she was so different, it had been evident that she wanted to escape what fate had in store for her, and he was determined to help her, which brings him to his current situation: Convincing Bruce to take her in as Batgirl.

"She has fighting experience, and I talked with her. She's nothing like Joker and Harley." He spoke up and Bruce shook his head then looked over.

"That's not the point, Dick. Have you forgotten how good Joker is at faking and pretending? If this is truly their daughter, don't you think they would have taught her to be a good actor? It's not a smart move. Besides, I already have Jason as Robin." Bruce said lowly.

"She wasn't acting."

"What evidence proves this?"

"My good judge of character."

"Dick…" Bruce sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, clearly wanting to be done with the conversation, but met Dick's eyes instead of ending it like he wanted to, "Why are you so keen on getting this girl under my wing?"

"I spoke with her. Twice. I looked for every clue and studied everything I possibly could about her. This girl isn't another Joker and she isn't another Harley. I don't know how or why, but she has entirely different values. It's almost like she was raised by someone different. Here's the catch though, Bruce. She believes there isn't any hope for her to be good, and that she has to become some murderous villain. If she isn't taken out of that place and pulled away from Joker and Harley, then you're going to have another killer on the streets. Except this time, you could have prevented her from ever becoming a criminal," Dick said seriously then crossed his arms over his chest, "She's a good person. She just hasn't had the chance to prove it."

Bruce was silent for a moment, seeming to consider what Dick said. It was something that the young vigilante liked about being Nightwing. Instead of treating him as his sidekick, he was Bruce's equal. He knew that Bruce didn't think he was just a kid with foolish speculations. With a deep sigh, Bruce looked back to Dick and gave a slow nod.

"You've made a valid point. If what you say is true, then getting her away from Joker and Harley has to be done quickly. As for taking her in as Batgirl, that may be asking too much." He finally spoke, making Dick give a small smile.

"If you look into the police cameras the night Joker and Harley were broken out, you can see her fight. She's not an amateur." He said. While he couldn't say that he knew one hundred percent that Jasmine was the hooded figure that broke out her parents, he predicted that it was her, considering he had never seen the hooded figure before and they didn't kill the police guards like Joker's men usually would have. If she claims she wants to be good, then she wouldn't feel right about killing, and with her mindset being she has to be a villain, well, that would explain why she broke out her parents. She believes she has to.

"I saw them. It isn't her fighting capabilities I'm concerned about. It's the fact that she is loyal enough to her parents that telling her my identity would prove to be problematic." Bruce said sternly.

"Just meet her. Your thoughts may change once you witness what she is like in person. I was planning on seeing her tonight anyways." Dick responded calmly, confident that his mentor would take her in once he gave her the chance. He noticed Bruce narrow his eyes and study him then give a rare little smile.

"Your determination and persistence to get her to join isn't revolved around the fact that she is a woman you believe is in distress, is it?" He asked smoothly, catching Dick off guard for a moment.

"Of course not. Why would you think that?" He huffed, glancing over at his former mentor.

"No reason." Bruce said with a small chuckle before checking his watch and became serious once more, "I'll meet with her, but I'm not promising anything. You'll have to take care of Joker and Harley yourself while I am."

"Actually, it would probably be better if I was with you. She knows me, and I believe she trusts me as well. Jason could handle Joker and Harley by himself while we speak with her. It shouldn't take too long, so he won't be left alone for an extended amount of time." He said and Bruce frowned.

"I don't want Jason to be alone to take down Joker and Harley." He said lowly and Dick sighed.

"He's a good Robin, Bruce. Have some faith. He'll be fine for an hour, maybe less."

"You of all people should know-"

"I can handle it, Bruce." A voice rang out, cutting off Bruce's sentence. The two men looked over their shoulder to see Jason Todd.

Jason Todd was a boy with black hair and blue eyes, much like how Dick looked. He had a sturdy form to him and was actually taller than Dick despite being a younger age. Unlike Dick, however, he was not as arrogant and light-hearted. He had a darker side to him, and was much more serious in what he did and thought. Bruce had taken Jason from the streets to train under him after he stole the Batmobile's tires. At the time Dick had just left to be on his own, and was about to establish the Teen Titans. Their age difference wasn't too far apart, with Dick being 22 and Jason being 19. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Dick had to agree that Jason was a really good fighter and almost on par with him, even though the younger man didn't have his acrobatic skills. With his sturdier build, he gave off strong attacks while still maintaining an above average speed. However, Dick also had strong attacks, and he was much faster than Jason, allowing him to be able to easily dodge the other boy's attacks. In the end, it was Dick's speed that really got him his wins when sparring against Jason along with his longer experience in fighting, though Jason was quickly catching up.

"See? Even Jason says he can do it." Dick spoke up, causing the present Robin to give a small smile and make his way over.

"If anything happens-" Bruce began once more with a scowl, but Jason spoke up once more, cutting him off.

"If is the key word, and nothing is going to happen. I'll be fine. What's the point of training me if you can't trust me enough to hold my own?" He spoke calmly, meeting Bruce's eyes coolly.

Bruce paused as he regarded Dick and Jason before shaking his head, "Fine. I'll let you handle Joker and Harley while Dick and I speak with the girl. Don't do anything stupid." He said sharply, causing Jason to smirk slightly.

"Me? Do something stupid? That's just plain insulting." He said and Bruce glared at him.

"Jason. I'm serious."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it. Nothing stupid, I promise." He said with a light smile and holding his hands up innocently before crossing them over his chest and turned to Dick, "Anyways. What is this whole thing about a girl about? I only came in when I heard my name being mentioned to handling Joker and Harley."

"Two nights ago, I found this abandoned house that was rumored to be one of Joker's hideouts. It was in a deserted neighborhood and hardly anyone lived in the proximity. I never would have even guessed Joker would hide out there if it hadn't been for a nearby goon I interrogated. When I entered, I was looking for plans for when he planned on striking. Instead, I found a girl. After interaction with her, I figured out that she's the daughter of Joker and Harley Quin. The thing about her is that she isn't like her parents. Her values are completely opposite." He explained and Jason frowned slightly then looked to Bruce.

"Isn't it more likely for Dick to be blinded by this girl than her actually wanting to be good?" He asked Bruce, who simply shrugged, since he basically said the same thing.

"I'm not blinded by her! Look, I spoke with her, not you. She's good, but she'll end up in the life of a killer if she isn't taken away from Joker and Harley." Dick said in frustration, causing Jason to sigh.

"Well, when the daughter of two insane criminals betrays you and I have to save your sorry ass, don't come complaining to me," He says in an almost annoyed tone.

"That won't happen. Just you see." Dick said with a confident smirk and Jason rolled his eyes at his arrogance.

"Time to go out. Meet me in the Batcave, and don't be late." Bruce said after checking his watch once more. He turned on his heels and walked off silently without another word.

"You hear that, Jason? Don't be late." Dick smirked and Jason cracked a small smile.

"Shut up, Grayson. We both know that you aren't punctual." He said as the two walked beside each other as they headed towards their rooms.

"Today I am." Dick said with a grin, only for Jason to look over.

"Yeah, because you get to see some crazy girl. But a girl is a girl to you, I suppose." He smirked. Instead of being insulted, Dick simply laughed.

"I'll have you know that she doesn't seem to be crazy." He said in amusement.

"Right, right. Well, maybe I'll meet her if Bruce agrees to take her in. See ya in a few, Nightwing." He said before slipping off into his room.

Dick watched him go fondly before walking into his own room. He and Jason were rather close, though they didn't meet right away. Jason came in after he left and became the leader of the Teen Titans. He had been out of contact with Bruce at the time, though he had heard of another Robin being mentioned whenever he looked up Gotham news. Honestly, he hadn't minded too much, though another part of him had been slightly jealous. When he first met Jason, he had already become Nightwing and had begun to watch over Bludhaven. Seeing Bruce and Jason together had made him rather happy, since there seemed to be a true family-like bond between the two. It also meant that Bruce hadn't been alone the time he was gone. Barbara had been shot in the spine by Joker…bringing an end to her career as Batgirl, and leaving Bruce on his own once again. After hearing about Barbara's incident had been hard on Dick, and he had immediately come back to Gotham after hearing about it. She barely spoke to him when he arrived, and was extremely depressed, but she soon got passed it and became Oracle.

Pushing his thoughts and memories from his mind, Dick undressed before pulling on his Nightwing suit. Once his suit was on, he grabbed mask and set in in place over his eyes then walked out. Swiftly, he made his way to the Batcave. He had to admit, he was looking forward to seeing Jasmine again. She just seemed so lost and trapped. In a way, he felt as though he could almost relate to her. When he was young, he had wanted to become a Flying Grayson, just like his parents. That was stolen from him after their "accident," when they fell to their deaths. When Bruce took him in, he had to accept that his dream of being like his parents was shattered. Gone. In a way, he couldn't help but feel she was almost in a similar state, though it was different as well. Jasmine was being pushed towards a future she didn't want. What she wanted was to get away from that future, and make her own fate. Follow the dream that she had. However, right now, that dream was starting to crack, and soon, it would shatter if nothing is done. Dick wasn't going to let hers shatter like his had.

"I'm impressed. You actually beat Jason down here." Bruce said, making Dick blink and return from his mind to the present. As he quickly scanned the area, he saw that Bruce was correct. Jason hadn't arrived yet.

"Don't be too impressed. I can be punctual when I want to be." He said with a small smile, only for Jason to walk in.

"Wow. You did get here before me." Jason spoke as he walked up beside Bruce.

"I don't understand why the two of you are so surprised." Dick said with a small laugh.

"That would be because you are notorious for showing up on your own time. Now let's go. Jason, there have been reports of small incidents occurring around City Hall. It may be linked to Joker and Harley, so go check that out. Dick, we'll go and meet the girl." Bruce said sternly and the two of them nodded.

Then they all took off. For these objectives, they didn't really need the Batmobile or the Robin motorcycle. Instead, they travelled by rooftops and alleyways, sticking to the shadows. Jason split off from Bruce and Dick fairly early to head to City Hall while Dick led the way to Joker's hideout where Jasmine was waiting. It didn't take all that long to get there, really. As he walked along the street, he pointed out the house, that look abandoned and in shambles on the outside. However, the house was actually in great shape, as seen when one enters. The outside was purposely made to look run down like the rest of the deserted neighborhood to blend in.

"There it is." Dick said, stopping at the front of it.

"There is only one person inside," Bruce simply responded, telling Dick he had used his detective mode to see if there were any people inside of the domain.

"That would be her." He said before slowly opening the door and stepping into the house. Like the last few times, nothing happened like he expected. Joker and Harley must both have been pretty confident in where they place their hideout, considering there weren't any traps.

"I'm almost disappointed. I expected something grand when we walked in." Bruce said in his gruff voice as he walked in behind Dick. Really, the way the place was set up looked rather normal. Dick was sure if a thorough search was given, however, abnormal things would be found.

"Join the club. That's the third time I've been let down." He smirked before walking down a hallway. At the very end was a door. Behind it, Jasmine was waiting.

Quickening his pace, he practically ran over with Bruce behind him as he opened the door. Her room was then revealed. Really, the biggest part of her room was the abundance of books. There were books in shelves, on tables and dressers and lying on the floor. In these books there were small flaps of paper where Dick could only guess were notes. However, his eyes were immediately drawn to the small shape curled up on the bed. A black cloak was over her body and head, but upon hearing the almost inaudible footsteps, she slowly sat up and looked over. The top part of her face was hidden in shadow except for the faint gleam of her eyes. While seeing her in this way may have raised alarms in him earlier, it simply concerned him this time.

"Nightwing." She breathed softly, only to then noticeably shift her attention over to Bruce, "And Batman."

"Why the cloak, Jasmine?" Dick spoke, glancing at Bruce who seemed to be studying her silently, though his hand rested on a Batarang. At his question, she was quiet and slowly stood up, though simply stood at the edge of her bed instead of walking over. * _She must be wary of Bruce._ * Dick thought to himself.

"It's rather warm." She mumbled, and it was at this time Bruce decided to speak.

"Don't lie. Take off the cloak." He growled lowly. Dick saw a faint smile curve on Jasmine's lips, and he thought over why she would smile, only to realize she had probably thought of a way to twist his words.

"That sounds rather suggestive." She said, amusement clear in her voice.

"Don't play games." Bruce said sharply.

"It isn't a game. I'm simply noting on the demand you gave me." She responded calmly, making Dick narrow his eyes. She was hiding something, and was stalling for time.

"Jasmine. We can't help you if you won't comply." He spoke up and she lapsed into silence for a moment before she sighed quietly.

Dick watched as she slowly raised her hands to the hood and pulled it down. Her rather wavy light brown hair fell across her shoulders, and her blue-green eyes were revealed in their brilliance with the shadows being cast from it. What really caught his attention, however, was the bruise along the left side of her face. She then drew the cloak completely off, showing her to be wearing a red shirt and black leggings, before holding it up and shifting her weight on her left leg.

"Do you want to search it too?" She asked, looking to Bruce.

"No." He responded shortly, and she simply shrugged before folding it over her arm.

"How did you receive the bruise?" Dick spoke up, though he already had a pretty good idea about how she got it, and the very thought angered him.

"You're the detective. You tell me." She said indifferently, though averted her eyes for a moment before shaking her head, an almost angry light coming into her gaze. She looked back to Bruce and Dick and gave a small shake of her head, "Why are both of you here? My parents are out to cause destruction to Gotham. I'm really not as important as the innocent lives that are going to be lost in approximately," she paused and glanced at a clock, "twenty minutes."

"You know where they are going to strike then?" Bruce spoke immediately, not really answering her question, which seemed to annoy her, though she didn't speak outwardly on it.

"I live with them, and they aren't exactly the quietest people in the world."

"Where?" Bruce demanded and she walked to a desk and pulled out a notebook. As she flipped it open, Dick saw brief glances of well-drawn sketches before she stopped on a blank page. Grabbing a pencil, she twirled into place in her left hand before quickly drawing an overview map of Gotham, labelling the important buildings then circled a few areas before ripping the page out. She studied it for a moment, as if to scrutinize her handiwork, then walked over and held it out to him.

"The way they attack is in an order. It seems random, but they haven't exactly gotten through all the places yet. Plus, they like to add their own little twist on things, like being in two places at once. My mother is going to cause a racket near City Hall while my father is going to do something grand at the jail, which will be the real spectacle. I don't know the details about it, only that he'll be there." She said evenly. Bruce took the paper before looking at her.

"Why should I trust what you're saying?" He asked lowly.

"Because I should be out there with them right now, but I refused. Why do you think I have this bruise?" She responded matter-of-factly.

Bruce looked to her quietly before looking over at Dick. "Let's go, Nightwing." He said, and then turned to leave. Dick narrowed his eyes. Surely she had proven herself to not be on her parents' side. He looked to Jasmine, and Bruce paused at the door when he realized that Dick wasn't following.

"Will you be fine here?" He asked and she turned her gaze to him, looking solemn for a moment before giving a light smile.

"I'm a tough girl. Go and stop my parents." She said before drawing on her cloak.

"And if you parents return here?" He continued and she gave a small frown before shrugging.

"Then they return." Is all she responded with.

" _Nightwing_." Bruce said, looking at him from over his shoulder.

Gritting his teeth, Dick reluctantly turned and walked to the door, which Bruce had already gone through after seeing him following orders. He paused and glanced at Jasmine from over his shoulder and she smiled and gave a small little wave before turning her back to him. * _I'll come back for you._ * He thought to himself before leaving. Quickly, he ran off after Bruce, who was waiting outside the house.

"You said you would give her a chance." He snapped as he got out.

"I have. I don't plan on Joker and Harley getting away. We'll come back for her once they are secured by the GCPD." He responded, handing Dick the map Jasmine had drawn before contacting Jason.

As Bruce informed Jason of the two locations, Dick studied the map and memorized the targeted places, only to realize that she had drawn shaded dots around the paper. As he inspected them, he recognized the locations they were at were earlier places Joker and Harley had disrupted. Taking in all the dots and the two circles, he found that these locations weren't just random. They formed a picture on the map.

"Batman, Joker plans on using a bomb." He spoke once Bruce had finished his call, then showed him the outline.

"These two locations aren't just random, they all form into a bomb. He just scattered them out to make it seem random. Even Harley's 'diversion' connects with everything." He said.

"I thought it was odd he would have Harley set up somewhere else. He likes having attention." He growled.

"With these last two locations, the formation will be completed, and that means he plans to explode something." Dick said lowly.

"Not exactly. Look at the fuse. It's small, which means his last spot with be there. Like lighting a fuse." Bruce said darkly, "It's time to put an end to this. Go with Jason to confine Harley. I'll take Joker." He said before taking out his Batclaw.

Dick didn't wait to watch him go. Instead, he climbed up to the roof of a building without the use of a Batclaw then jumped from rooftop to rooftop, heading towards City Hall. The sound of gunfire, laughter and screams told him he was getting close, and he stopped on a building, looking down in a main street where Harley was stationed. The blonde haired criminal stood in the center of the street. Goons circled around her, their guns pointed towards the sky. People were scrambling away, telling him this broke out not too long ago. A few people were shot as well. Seeing some movement, he glanced up and saw Jason on a building across the street.

"Come on out and plaaaay B-Man!" She called then gave a laugh.

Dick shot his line launcher, and it attached to the building Jason was on. Jason then did the same, but his Batclaw attached to Dick's building. Then, the two swung down in an arc. Dick's feet connected with one of the six goons, making him go flying and drop his gun. As he began to move up, he let go of the Batclaw and twisted in the air as he drew his escrima sticks. He landed in a crouch, only to see Jason having taken out a goon as he had, but had thrown Batarangs into the fallen guns, putting them out of commission. He landed in a crouch as well, but on the opposite side of Dick.

"Sorry Harley, but Batman found better business to attend to than your antics." He called with a small smirk, then somersaulted as the goons shots at him, then got to his feet. Quickly, he darted forwards and slammed the end of one of his escrima sticks into the goon's stomach, making the man double over. Then, he brought his knee up and pushed the criminal's head down. Hearing a small crack, he concluded that he broke the guy's nose. Before the guy could do anything, he moved to the side and slammed his elbow into his back then quickly twirled his escrima sticka in a circle, which deflected the bullets coming for him. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Jason take one down as well, which left two goons and Harley.

"Too bad. Looks like I'll have to make my retreat then! Get'em boys!" She ordered then turned and ran.

"Robin, take care of these guys! I'll get Harley." Dick called to Jason, who immediately threw two batarangs, which embedded into the last two guns, making them useless.

Dick didn't stay to see the result. He sprinted off in the direction Harley went. It didn't take too long to catch up to her considering his training. Glancing around quickly, he jumped up and used a wall as leverage to push himself ahead over her. Spinning in the air, he landed directly in front of Harley, causing the villainess to skid to a stop. Standing up straight, he activated the electricity his escrima sticks contained as a kind of warning.

"It's over, Harley."

"Maybe for me, but you'll never catch-" She began, only to crumble to the ground. Blinking, Dick looked to Jason, who had knocked her out.

"She really annoys me." He said as a kind of explanation.

Shrugging, Dick walked over and picked up the unconscious criminal. She annoyed him too, so he really didn't blame him. The two quietly walked out from the alley and towards the group of the six knocked out goons. Setting her down, Jason helped in pulled the others up and they tied them together, finishing right as they heard sirens wailing, telling the two that the G.C.P.D. were on their way. Using their grappling hooks, the two boys returned to the rooftops, where they were alone. Immediately, Dick called Bruce.

"Harley's being picked up by the police. Do you need any help with Joker?" He said, shifting his eyes down as the police arrived at the scene.

"No. Joker is in restraints. The police will be here soon enough. You and Robin can go ahead and retrieve the girl, however, she must be blindfolded or knocked out when taken to the mansion, then placed in the windowless room." He said firmly.

"Batman-" Dick began to protest.

"Don't argue with me on this one." He said, cutting him off then disconnecting the call. Sighing, Dick turned to Jason.

"Ready to meet Jasmine?" He asked and Jason gave a light smile.

"Yeah, sure. Lead the way."

Dick then ran off along the rooftops, but purposely slowed a bit so Jason could keep up a bit easier. His mind quickly shifted to Jasmine, hoping that she didn't give up on what he told her. The hope that had entered her eyes when he said he may be able to get her out…he didn't want that to be crushed. She was getting out. She would be free to follow a path she wanted. When he left with Bruce, he couldn't help but think she had lost that hope, thinking she hadn't been accepted. Then again, technically Bruce hasn't accepted her. He has more so agreed to help her out of her current predicament. However, Dick was sure she would be able to become Batgirl. He couldn't explain it, but he just had a feeling that she had the potential to be great like Barbara had been. Maybe even better. Of course, he couldn't be certain in this since he hasn't faced her himself, but it was just a feeling. It didn't take long to return to the house she was being kept in, and Dick simply walked in, not bothering to pause. Joker and Harley were being taken in by the authorities, and their followers were hardly a threat. Running to her room with Jason on his heels, he threw her room door open.

"Jasmine, you can-" He began, only to trail off as his eyes swept the area.

"Sooo…she's invisible?" Jason spoke, walking up beside him. Dick shook his head, clenching his hands into fists.

"No. She was here." He said through gritted teeth. * _I shouldn't have left without reassuring her. Now she's gone._ * It was then that he spotted the window was open and he walked to it. As he gazed out, he saw a figure dart into an alleyway. It was a long shot, but it may just be her.

"She's just outside! We can still catch her. Let's split up and look for her," He ordered Jason quickly before jumping out from the window and landed on the ground before taking off. He could hear Jason behind him, but his footsteps soon became faint as Dick sprinted away and towards the alleyway he saw the figure disappear into. There was no way he could just…let her go like that. She wasn't safe alone, and living on the streets would be better than living with her parents, but could still easily end with her becoming exactly what she didn't want to be. Dick was determined to find her, and there was no way he was going to leave without her.


	4. Chapter 4

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 4

The alleyway was dark, and everything was cast in shadow. However, for the girl running through them, she maneuvered as though it wasn't much of a problem to see in the dim lighting. The hood of her cloak shadowed her face while the ends swept behind her. Jasmine soon slowed to a stop and kept her breathing quiet, straining her ears to hear any sounds of footsteps or voices. When she heard none, she allowed herself to lean back against the wall and tilt her head back, taking in deep breathes. It wasn't that she had done anything wrong, per say. In fact, she had no idea it had been Nightwing and Robin who had come to the house only a few minutes earlier. She had assumed her parents had returned, and having already planned on making her escape, she fled as soon as she heard the footsteps, though didn't take the time to shut her window.

The choice itself seemed almost delayed considering the years Jasmine has held hatred and dislike for her parents. One might even inquire why she hadn't just left earlier, if it was truly as easy as jumping from a window and running. She supposed that, while she could give many reasons, there were only three major ones that drove her to do what she did.

Before having met Nightwing, she believed that being evil and falling into the darkness that was intended for her was her fate. Her future. There was no escaping or changing it, and that was just how it was. It been something she pondered over again and again, and each time, she found no way of proving it not to be true. In her mind, she didn't have the power to simply choose not to be evil.

The second reason was that, well, Jasmine was smart enough to fear her parents. While she had the skills necessary to protect herself effectively, both of them knew her weaknesses. However, she also knew they wouldn't kill her. At least, not if they thought she could still be useful to their cause. If caught, she knew the extent of her punishment. She had been warned before, and received a sort of punishment a long time ago…though that was another story.

Lastly, Jasmine knew nothing of how the outside world works. This is not saying that she didn't know the city. That would be a wrong conclusion. Over the years of confinement in four different houses in her nineteen years of living, Jasmine has studied the maps of Gotham. Though it hadn't been told to her vocally, she knew she had been required to know. In the beginning, she would memorize the street names and the position of all the important buildings in the city. Learning the layout of Gotham had been easy, and memorizing something had never been difficult for her. However, living and striving in a city was completely different to knowing the layout of Gotham. Jasmine has never had the opportunity to experience life outside of the one her parents created for her. She didn't socialize with others, and hardly understood "normal" life. There were few things she actually did understand about a "normal" life, such as what it was like to have a friend or to be in love with another individual. Since she never spoke with hardly anyone outside of her parents and a few of their grunts, she never had the opportunity to have either a friend or a lover. Social pros and taboos were unknown to her, and as for laws, well, her parents broke it constantly, though she did know some. Living in the city, well, she wouldn't know where to go or what would be acceptable.

These three reasons were what kept her from running off for six years. It amazed her how in just three days she had thrown these reasons away and actually did run off into the city. In a way, it was almost a little crazy, considering her reasons were really quite valid. At least, she truly believed they were. And yet, she left anyways, and really, it all had to do with Nightwing.

With the way her mind worked, Jasmine had been ultimately convinced that she would never be able to have the chance to be a good person. She had reluctantly and rather despairingly come to terms with it. Then Nightwing showed up, and he offered her a chance to leave and escape, which was something that had only seemed possible six years before. She had given up hope in there ever being a way out. That old determination in her had sparked along with her hope that she wouldn't have to become another Joker or Harley Quinn. She was so set on it, and told herself that Nightwing would come through to her. She had heard the genuine sound of his voice, and had been convinced he wasn't lying. So when he returned with Batman, she was desperately holding onto that hope. Freedom had been so close. Then he and Nightwing left, leaving her there after she betrayed her parents' information. At least, the information she knew about their scheme. While Nightwing had seemed concerned, having asked what would happen if her parents returned and glancing over at her before leaving, he still left. In that moment, Jasmine had been angry. Angry for getting her spirits up, since this seemed like fate laughing at her once more, and angry at Nightwing for giving her such empty words.

However, this time she kept her old fire. Not long after they left, Jasmine began packing necessary things, not counting a few novels and her sketches. She had drawn her cloak over herself and attached her precious whips at her waist then stood at the window, looking out across the abandoned alleyway. Hardly anyone ever came into this part of the town, which was why it had been a perfect place to hide her. In that moment, even though she had chosen what she wanted to do, it still took her a while to gain the courage to step outside her room. She wasn't sure where she would go, and really, it had been rather terrifying. Even now as she stood in the alleyway, she had no idea where she was going to go for the night.

Catching her breath, Jasmine began to walk forwards to continue on her way, only to pause as she heard a small, muffled scream. Narrowing her eyes, she stuck to the shadows the night and alley offered before slipping towards it. The sound of shuffling reached her ears and she peered over a corner, seeing a man pinning a girl to a wall. One of his hands was over her mouth and the other holding her wrists above her head. She scowled and moved her hands to her waist, taking her whips into her hands. They were made of a very light black metal and were rather thin as well. It was set in a way that it looked like snake scales, but if she twisted a certain part on the handle, the scales would pop open and become sharp, small blades.

"You're a pretty girl, you know that?" The man smirked to the woman, who shrunk back against the wall as he moved his face closer to hers and turned her head to the side.

"Don't turn from me." He growled, lifting his hand from her mouth and moved it back. Just as he was about to strike her, Jasmine moved quickly and flicked her wrist rather effortlessly. One of her whips bolted forwards and wrapped around the man's wrist. Immediately, she tugged back, and he gave a surprised grunt as he staggered away from the girl by his caught hand. Seeing the opportunity, the woman quickly ran down the alleyway.

"You must have a really hard time maintaining a relationship," Jasmine spoke with a small smirk, though the upper part of her face was hidden by her hood, so the man could only see the small curve of her lips.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" He snarled, grabbing the whip wrapped around his wrist. Right as he touched it, Jasmine struck with her other. It caught his hand and he pulled it back with a small yelp. Blood began to spring up from the lash on his hand.

"That's my business," Jasmine said lowly before tugging the whip still wrapped around his wrist. He stumbled forwards and she struck her other whip once more, catching his chest, and then pulled the other whip from his wrist. Slowly she advanced towards him, both whips trailing at her sides while he slowly backed away.

"Look lady, I have some money. Just let me go." He said, pulling out a wallet and held it up and gave a nervous smile. Jasmine paused for a moment, studying him before shaking her head.

"Like you let that girl go? I'm not interested in your money." She said sharply. As fast as cobras, her whips struck his chest in a blurred 'x.' Almost immediately, two bleeding gashes appeared. The man could barely even register the pain before two more gashes appeared on his shoulders, then his side, stomach, legs and arms. By the time he had finally cried out in pain, his body was covered in bleeding lashes, and his clothes were ripped where her whips had ripped the fabric away. He fell to his knees, his blood starting to drip to the ground. As Jasmine began to walk forwards, two shadows landed on front of her.

"You've done enough," Said a cautious and familiar voice.

As the two figures straightened up, she recognized Nightwing. The one beside him seemed to be Robin. While she hadn't seen Robin before, she had a good idea of what he looked like back when her parents spoke of him and Batman. The two seemed to exchange a quick glance before Robin turned towards the man she had whipped. Nightwing strode towards her. Jasmine recoiled her whips as he did before attaching them back to her waist, her earlier anger starting to rise up.

"You're going to jail. Let's go." She heard Robin say to the man, though she tuned out as Nightwing stopped in front of her.

"Don't tell me. You're taking me to be confined too." She said thinly and he sighed lightly.

"No, though you didn't need to injure that man to the extent you did." He responded.

"He deserved more than what I gave him. He tried to rape a girl." She said lowly.

"So I saw."

At his response, Jasmine simply scowled and tilted her head up so her eyes were visible from underneath her hood, "I sure hope you didn't come up to me just so you could comment on how I reacted to such a disgusting action."

"Damn, you figured out my motive. I just really want to spend my night following you around town and watching you interact with bad guys, then comment on what you could do better." He said sarcastically and she rolled her eyes then brushed by him.

"I'm honored, but I can take care of myself." She snapped, only to stop as he caught her wrist.

"I can't let you go alone."

Jasmine narrowed her eyes and tugged her hand from his grip before spinning on her heels and facing him, "So staying with my parents will be much better? I don't believe you ever had the power to tell me where and where I can't go."

"No, it isn't any better, but if my assumptions are correct, you don't get out much. That means you have no idea how a city works, and Gotham isn't exactly the best place to test your limited knowledge. Besides, Batman didn't turn you down. Joker and Harley had to be taken care of first. I came back for you." He said to her evenly.

"You…I wasn't turn down?" She breathed, ignoring the whole part where he correctly guessed her social status. She felt her earlier anger at Nightwing dissipate, feeling more embarrassed for the way she acted towards him than anything.

"No, you weren't. Even if you were, I wouldn't have let you stay there. I would have come back regardless," He said calmly, seeming to sense that she was no longer upset and relaxed, but not by much.

Jasmine was silent for a moment before nodding, "Then I'm sorry for my sharpness towards you. I thought you simply left without an explanation, so I took matters into my own hands." She explains and he sighs softly.

"I thought as much," He commented before becoming more serious than anything, "That man you were attacking. How far were you going to take that, Jasmine?" He asked her lowly and she glanced away from him for a moment before her eyes hardened and she looked back to him.

"Until he understood the fault of his actions. People like him don't get mercy as an option. He tried to buy his way out, which I suppose is better than lying. I gave him the punishment he deserved." She said in an almost dangerously quiet voice. Nightwing was silent as he seemed to study her.

"The punishment he deserves lies in the hands of a judge, not in the hands of a girl." He said to her firmly and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"He was going to rape a girl-" She began.

"I understand that, and the action is despicable, but you could have simply knocked him out without the extra lashes. The police could have taken it from there." He said, cutting her off.

"I've learned differently."

"You were also raised by Joker and Harley Quinn."

"On the contrary, you really don't know me or my past, Nightwing." Jasmine said calmly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Are you saying you weren't raised by Joker and Harley?" He asked with a frown and she gave a light but humorless smile.

"It's all a matter of perspective. Define raised." She said, her voice seemed into contain an undertone of amusement.

"Raised as in being brought up to follow certain morals and molded in who you are today." He said slowly and evenly.

"At first, yes, I was being raised by them for the first few years of my life. Then it changed. They haven't truly raised me."

Nightwing didn't seem too surprised at this new information. At least, he didn't look as surprised as she excepted him to, "Who did then?"

"Come on, Nightwing. You don't honestly expect me to give up every little secret about me," Jasmine smirked slightly then walked towards him till they were chest to chest. She leaned forward, as if she were to share a secret with him and peered into his covered eyes from the shadows of her cowl, "That would be terribly uninteresting, and who doesn't like a mystery to solve?"

"This has nothing to do with you being interesting or not." He said to her lowly.

"Does it not? Then why return for me, if you weren't interested or curious?"

Nightwing opened his mouth to speak up, but never spoke. Instead his eyes shifted to behind her and he rested his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back from him. She looked over her shoulder and saw Robin standing there, a small smirk on his lips. He walked over and stopped beside her. Quickly, he darted his hand forwards and reached towards her hood, but Jasmine caught his wrist before he could touch it, stopping the approach.

"Don't touch my cloak." She said quietly, slowly letting his wrist go. Robin seemed faintly surprised before he chuckled.

"I'll keep that in mind." He smirked slightly, and Nightwing shook his head.

"Robin, this is Jasmine Quinn." Nightwing introduced.

"I figured as much." Robin responded, before looking back to her, "You really beat that guy up. Nicely done." He grinned, which earned a disapproving glare from Nightwing.

"I'm glad to know someone approves of it." She responded with a small smile. A small gust of wind blew through the alleyway, which tugged her hood off. Her light brown hair spilled around her and her blue-green eyes were now revealed and out of the shadows that had hid them. Letting out a sigh, she considered replacing the hood to cover her features, but decided not to. It wasn't like anyone knew what she looked like besides a few people anyways. As she looked over, she noticed Robin gazing over at her.

"What?" She asked, tilting her head a little to the side and he seemed to glance at Nightwing before returning his attention to her.

"You're Joker and Harley Quinn's daughter?" He spoke and she nodded.

"The one and only."

"I see…I just wasn't expecting you to look like…this." He said rather awkwardly and she gave a slow blink as she processed what he said then raised her eyebrows.

"What exactly were you expecting then?" Jasmine asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Oh you know. Dyed green hair…maybe pigtails. Some kind of outfit Harley would dress in." He said and instead of being offended or anything, she simply laughed, though she put her hand over her mouth to try and quiet herself down.

"I may be their daughter, but that doesn't mean I have to dress like some ridiculous clown." She said with a smile, unable to help herself from giving a soft laugh again.

"Even I could have told you that, Robin." Nightwing snickered. Robin sighed and rubbed the back of his head, looking rather embarrassed.

" _Anyways_ , we're supposed to take you with us. You can either go blindfolded or unconscious." Robin spoke up to Jasmine, clearing his throat.

"Blindfolded or unconscious? How compelling." Jasmine said sarcastically.

Nightwing sighed softly, "It's relevant."

She gave a light smile and nodded slightly, "I understand. I'll choose to be unconscious. I'd be much too tempted to take the blindfold off." She answered. While she really didn't want to be knocked out, at the same time, she knew she wouldn't be extremely reliable if they blindfolded her. Her curiosity would make her impulsive, and she really didn't want to betray their trust in her. As Jasmine looked at Nightwing and Robin, they seemed a little conflicted in how to do it and she smirked slightly, "What? Too scared to hit a girl?"

"No, but we're not going to punch you and to knock you out." Nightwing said firmly. With a final look to Robin he walked up then swiftly slipped behind her. She felt him rest his hands on her waist and lean forward. His longish hair tickled the side of her cheek and she turned her head slightly.

"I'll cut off your air supply. When you pass out, I'll catch you. I promise." He said to her quietly and she took a deep breath.

"Can't you just punch me and get it over with?" She muttered and caught a trace of a smile on his lips.

"I have to keep things interesting."

"This has nothing to do with things being interesting." Jasmine responded, unable to keep herself from giving a small smile, since they basically traded lines from earlier.

"That's all a matter of perspective." He said with a faint chuckle before becoming serious, "Get ready."

Jasmine tried to prepare herself for what was to come, but honestly, one can't really truly prepare themselves for being unable to breathe. The body reacts on its own, and the burning sensation in air deprived lungs, well, it isn't particularly pleasant. Most people would perhaps struggle and try to twist away while they get weaker and weaker from the lack of oxygen, however, Jasmine barely displayed much of a struggle at all. In fact, she stood there as Nightwing placed his hand over her mouth and nose with hardly a reaction. Even as her lungs screamed and she felt the need to fight him off, the only movement she made was raising her hand and clutching Nightwing's arm, looking almost like a vain attempt to push his arm and hand away from her mouth, though she put no pressure on it. As the black crept into the edges of her vision and she began to feel light-headed, she could help but lean back against him as she grew weak. Jasmine felt the hand he had on her waist slowly wrap around her and pull her closer to help in supporting her up. Only a few seconds after, the world became hazy before she was completely plunged into darkness.

oOo

 _Young seven year old Jasmine stood in a rather large basement, staring over at a woman across from her. Really, the very thought of actually having to be with this inferior woman every day for hours on end annoyed her. Clenching her hands into fists, she then crossed her arms over her chest despite feeling the want to punch something. Her dumb parents couldn't just teach her how to shoot a gun. She just had to learn how to use combat weapons because Batman and Robin didn't use guns and blah blah blah._

 _Ever since she could walk and talk, Jasmine has been a little reign of terror. Anyone watching her would end up with bruises or be tricked into something. She was smarter than an average kid, which could be seen by the clever ways she found in tricking those that were assigned to watch her. It was rather irritating to Jasmine to have to be watched by such lowly creatures as her parents' henchmen. All of them were idiotic, and not a single one could compare to her significance._

 _Now, Jasmine had to learn from this woman. Glaring daggers at her, the young girl took the time to study the individual before her. She had long inky black hair that was braided down her back. She was also rather short, standing at what was an approximation of 5'3. Her skin was a light tan and her almond eyes were slanted, showing her Japanese heritage. She was dressed in tightfitting black pants and wore a jade green tank top. At her waist rested two black coiled whips._

"You are Jasmine?" _The woman eventually spoke, her voice holding a thick accent._

"Who else would I be?" _Jasmine spoke in an annoyed tone. It was a stupid question to start out with._

"I am Risuka Tamashi. I am here to teach you how to wield whips." _She said evenly, though her eyes had narrowed slightly._

"I know why you're here, and honestly, I really don't care who you are. I bet you don't even know how to use whips, so this is just a waste of my time." _Jasmine sneered at Risuka. There was a small lapse of silence._

 _Just as Jasmine blinked, she felt the cold metal of Risuka's whip wrap around her wrist followed by a strong pull. She stumbled forwards, about to fall to the ground but was stopped as a strong hand gripped her shoulder and held her in place. Furious, she snapped her eyes up, her blue green eyes boring into Risuka's strict almond ones._

"Your first lesson. Respect and discipline." _She said lowly, and Jasmine felt the whip fall from her wrist._

"Your first lesson." _Jasmine mocked then narrowed her eyes,_ "Learn who's in charge," _She said in a deadly voice then ripped away from Risuka before lunging at her, driven by her rage. However, Risuka merely danced out of the way as Jasmine brought her fists towards her in quick little arcs. This little flurry of attacks and dodges went on for about twenty minutes until Jasmine was out of breath. She swung her left fist towards Risuka, only for the woman to catch it then bend down to her eye level. Glaring at her hatefully, she swung her other fist, aiming for her face, though this one was caught as well._

"I believe it is _you_ who has learned who is in charge then." _Risuka said evenly. Jasmine glared at her, seething quietly for a moment before pulling her hands away and taking a small step back as she regarded the weird woman. Of all the people she has messed with or attacked, no one ever fought back, but she did. And she beat her. While the young girl didn't value other humans, thinking them inferior to herself, this one gained at least a bit of respect from her._

"What's first?"


	5. Chapter 5

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 5

Dick Grayson immediately removed his hand from Jasmine's mouth and caught her as she became completely limp. He really hadn't wanted to knock the girl out, and had secretly wished for her to choose to be blindfolded when he gave her the option. Of course, she took the opposite choice. There had been no way he had been going to punch her. The idea was immediately repulsed in his mind, and Jason knew that it would be, which was probably why he didn't speak up about it. If it were up to Jason, Dick knew that he would probably just throw the punch and get it over with. However, he hadn't wanted to hurt her. She already had a bruise on her left cheek. She didn't need another. So the least violent one he could come up with was having her pass out from lack of oxygen.

To be honest, Dick had been rather surprised at her lack of reaction. Most people would probably have struggled or made some kind of noise of desperation. Jasmine simply grabbed his arm, though she didn't push on it or anything. She just grabbed it and that was it. Now with her passed out, he knew that he and Jason needed to return to Wayne Manor quickly so she wouldn't regain consciousness on the way there. As of now, he was holding her upright against his chest. Rather quickly, he adjusted her and instead held her with his arm under her knees and his other supporting her back. At the shift, he felt her head rest against his chest, and glanced down at her for a moment. She was lighter than what he had expected as well. Not that she was hefty looking. In fact, from what he saw, she was in shape and really quite thin. He just hadn't anticipated her being as light as she was.

"Nightwing." Jason spoke, clearing his throat.

Snapping out from his thoughts, Dick looked up at him then gave a nod. "Right. Let's go." He said seriously, starting to walk forwards. Jason quickly walked up and fell into step beside him.

"Perhaps I should go get the Batmobile. It would be easier transporting her that way." He spoke up and Nightwing frowned in thought. Moving around with her in his arms would prove to be difficult, since jumping from rooftop to rooftop probably wouldn't be very safe for Jasmine, and he couldn't just walk through the streets. That would draw unwanted and unnecessary attention.

"Alright. Be quick about it though, Robin. I really don't want her to wake up then immediately have to get knocked out again." He said and Jason nodded before running off into the shadows.

Dick watched him go before glancing around the area. They alleyway was empty and it was rather long as well. The part here used to house the rich in Gotham until new places opened more in the downtown area. It quickly became a place for the poor and low class to live, but even then, it declined. It used to be the place people up to no good would hang around. As the police caught on, however, it soon cleared out. Now it was simply a ghost town. A few people wandered through here and there, but they never stayed. It was easy to forget about, which made it a perfect low key place to hide an individual such as Jasmine.

Sighing, he carefully lowered to the ground, holding Jasmine close to his chest as he settled before gently sitting her up a bit so her head rested near his collarbone. She really was a character. There were times where it was almost hard to imagine she is the daughter of Harley Quinn and Joker. However, there were also times where he could imagine how she was brought up influenced certain decisions or actions she made. Her reaction to his question about how far she would take hurting that man for example, was interesting to say the least. How she put it told him that it wasn't her parents' ideals. They could care less about people or what they do. So when she said that someone else had raised her, he hadn't been particularly surprised. Whoever raised her had given her this kind of thinking to go by, which raised the question of who exactly raised her. Another time was when she walked up to him so they had been chest to chest. The mysterious and almost alluring way she put her words came from her directly.

Jasmine liked to play games. That was evident. Not just any games, though. More so mind games. What her intentions or motivation to say it as she did, Dick wasn't precisely sure. The way she put the term 'interested' could have been taken in different ways. It could have been taken that she believes that he has romantic feelings concerning her, or simply found her interesting as an individual. Unique would be another good word for the second term. Which one she meant, well, that was rather hard to determine. The way she acted when saying it pointed towards the first, however, the conversation before she brought it up pointed towards the latter. There was also the prediction that she was simply pretending to act infatuated or suspicious of him being infatuated with her just to mess with him.

With these thoughts swirling around in his mind, Dick barely noticed when Jason came up due to his silent footfalls. However, just the slightest sound of a shuffle made him pull from his mind and look over. Being sure that Jasmine was supported, he slowly stood up and held her bridal style once more before turning to him, noticing that Jason's eyes were on the girl in his arms. It made him think back to when Jasmine's hood fell from her features and how he had shown minor interest in her then, which was more interest than most people got from Jason.

"The Batmobile isn't parked too far off." Jason said.

"Good," Dick spoke with a nod then started walking down the alleyway, only to notice Jason looking back at Jasmine, "You're acting as though you've never seen a girl before." He smirked. Jason tore his eyes away then gave a light smile and shook his head.

"That's not it. She's just…" He trailed off, as if he couldn't find the right words, "I don't know how to explain it. I never would have imagined Joker and Harley Quinn having a child. What kind of horrors has she seen and gone through? We've seen people lose it from being with Joker for a few hours. She's been with the two of her parents for all her life. How did she end up like this and not insane or some cold-blooded killer?" He spoke and Dick was silent for a moment.

 _* Then why return for me, if you weren't interested or curious_ _ *****_ Jasmine's words echoed in his head. Now he knew what she meant. She made it seem like infatuation, but there was deeper meaning in the statement. She knew that they had questions about her, and that's why she believed they returned for her. She thought that if she hadn't been the daughter of Joker and Harley, they would have simply written her off and left. Since her heritage was so peculiar, it naturally made them curious about how she turned out different from the expectations. The sad part was that Dick didn't help her just because of the fact that she was the daughter of two famous psychopathic criminals, but the fact that she had wanted to have a better life and get out of the place she had been in.

"Earlier she said that she wasn't really raised by her parents." Dick answered, and Jason looked over with his eyebrows raised.

"Then who?"

"I have no idea. She didn't tell me." He sighed in response and Jason crossed his arms over his chest.

"How does she expect to be trusted if she is secretive about herself? It's rather suspicious." He muttered.

"Her intentions aren't to be suspicious. She's trying to remain interesting and mysterious. I think she's afraid that the moment we aren't curious about her, we'll give her back to Joker and Harley." Dick said seriously and Jason sighed.

"Or maybe she just doesn't trust people enough to tell her past. I think you're overthinking it, Nightwing." He said with a glance at Jasmine, "If what you said earlier about her isolation is correct, then she hasn't interacted with many people. She's never had the reason to trust anyone but herself. It could just be a matter of trust issues." He said and Dick frowned. Jason could be right as well, or it could be a mixture of both.

"I suppose it does us no good trying to figure it out. The only way to get the real answer is by asking her." He said and Jason nodded.

"That's true."

The two boys reached the end of the alleyway where the Batmobile was parked. The back was usually a spot to put criminals in, but there was only one seat in the front. Dick, of course, took the wheel and had Jason hold Jasmine in the back. While Jason had been reluctant, there really wasn't much time for arguing. Jasmine could wake up at any time, and they needed to get her back to the mansion and in the room Bruce intended for her. Dick drove as fast as he dared to, and it really didn't take too long to reach the Batcave, where he finally parked the car. Getting out, he helped Jason in taking Jasmine out of the back, but ended up holding her once more. Hearing echoing footsteps, Jason and Dick immediately looked over to see Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's butler, though the man was more like a grandfather to the boys that anything.

"Master Dick. Master Jason." He greeted with a small formal bow.

"Hello Alfred." Dick said Jason said in unison. Alfred's eyes shifted to Jasmine for a moment before he straightened up and looked to Dick.

"Who is the young miss?"

"A guest. Her name is Jasmine Quinn." He spoke up, starting to walk forwards so he could get to the mansion.

"Quinn, sir?" Alfred spoke up, seeming startled, though Jason spoke for Dick so he could keep carrying Jasmine,

"She's Joker and Harley's daughter."

While Dick was sure Alfred had many question, he was confident Jason could take care of them. Before he entered the elevator that led up into the mansion, he heard Alfred ask if Bruce knew about this and gave a light sigh. It wasn't that he was all that surprised at the reaction. He reacted to her in hostility the first time they met. Now that he knew what she was like though, it was almost hard to imagine her being thought of like the criminals her parents were. The door opened and he stepped out, immediately heading towards the room Bruce had spoken of. It was one that was going to be placed in the Batcave, but was instead installed in the house. It was established to seem like a spare bedroom that didn't have any windows and was used to keep people in.

Dick had no doubt that Bruce considered just placing her in a cell in the Batcave, but that would give the wrong idea, since she wasn't a prisoner. The room was the next best thing without giving her the opportunity to know where exactly she was or figure out Batman's identity. Turning around a corner, he strolled down a long hallway till he reached the very end, where a shut door was. He managed to turn the handle while holding Jasmine then nudged the door open with his foot, only to push it closed once he stepped into the room. The room itself was rather plain and boring. The walls were a beige color, and the bed was simply white with a regular gray comforter. It wasn't anything special. There was a nightstand and a lamp beside the bed and a small dresser on the opposite side of the room.

Walking to the bed, Dick gently laid Jasmine down, who shifted slightly as he did, telling him that she was regaining consciousness, or was just sleeping at this point. Looking over her, his eyes settled on her whips. Bruce probably wouldn't want her to keep her weapons with her. Reaching forward, he rested his hand on one of them and began to pull it away, only for her hand to shoot out and grab his wrist. Snapping his eyes to her face, he found himself looking into her blue-green eyes. Though there was a drowsy light to them, it was slowly being replaced by a kind of intensity.

"You can't take my whips." She said in a quiet voice.

"I can and I have to." He answered evenly, but her grip only tightened.

"You don't understand. They aren't just weapons to me, Nightwing. Besides, I wouldn't even dream of attacking anyone considering I wanted to be brought here and it would be stupid to if I planned on being deceiving," She said sharply before softening, "Please," She whispered, taking on a more pleading tone.

Dick stared at her, caught off guard a bit by how she had reacted. He knew that she was skilled with her whips to a point of mastery. When she used them, her technique was perfect, and the way she moved was elegant and beautiful, even if the result of her movements was fatal or damaging to her opponents. However, he never imagined she was this attached to them. He had broken plenty of escrima sticks and though he liked the weapon and mastered it, he wasn't exactly attached to a particular set. That meant that they must hold some kind of sentimental value to her that went deeper that just being her prime offensive strategy.

"I know you wouldn't attack, Jasmine, but it's simply a precaution. If I don't take them, then Batman will." He said to her calmly. She was silent for a moment as she looked at him with this unreadable gaze.

"Promise me I'll get them back."

"Jasmine-"

"Promise me!" She said strictly and Dick stared at her and nodded.

"I promise you'll get them back." He said calmly and she took a deep breath before slowly letting go of his wrist and unattached the whip. While he took it from her, she unhooked the other one and handed it over. He took it as well then met her eyes, "Why are they so important to you?"

"Personal reasons." She muttered, sitting up and leaning back against the bed frame.

"Like what?" He continued and she gave him a look of exasperation.

"Are you always this nosy?" She sighed and he smirked slightly.

"Don't forget persistent." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"Right. Well, like I said, it's personal. If I told you about their importance, I'd have to explain another factor of my past, and I'm really not up for some kind of makeshift therapy session." She said firmly. Dick studied her for a moment before sitting at the edge of the bed and looking over at her.

"If it's that troubling, then maybe saying it will be beneficial." He said and she scowled.

"I can handle myself and my emotions. Telling someone isn't going to make anything better," She said thinly and he shook his head.

"That isn't true. People are social creatures, and having someone on your side does help. You just need to trust me."

Jasmine's eyes became almost expressionless and she met his eyes beneath the mask, "I'm the outcome of social isolation. I don't need people, and I certainly don't trust them."

"Everyone needs others. Maybe now is the time to start trusting those _worth_ trusting." He said to her strongly and a smile curved on her lips.

"And you are worth trusting, Nightwing?" She asked, though not really mockingly. He smiled slightly.

"I would think so. I got you out of your house and took you here, just like I said I would. Why not trust me now?" He pointed out to her.

"Whether you did this or not, you are still very black and white. Not only that, but I don't want your pity or sympathy." She said stubbornly and he sighed before smiling and turned to her.

"What if I strike you a deal?" He offered. Dick knew that she wouldn't just be able to turn down the deal. It made things interesting. Not only that, but he felt as though a small part of her did want to talk to him. This gave her an excuse. Just as he predicted, he spotted a small flicker of interest in her eyes, and she leaned forward a bit.

"Depends. What kind of deal?" She asked.

"If you tell me a something about your past or about yourself, then I'll play cards with you." He said and she gave a light laugh.

"Surely you don't think I'm that easily bribed." She said in amusement and Dick simply shrugged and peered at her.

"I figured that if you were willing to give up your name for me to play a card game with you, then this would apply as well." He said and she studied him for a moment.

"I'll tell you one thing. That means you owe me two card games, Nightwing." She said and he grinned.

"Deal."

Jasmine shook her head a bit before leaning back against the bedframe once more. Dick supposed she could say something that was hardly important, but maybe she would cooperate, or at least take some of his words to heart, "I can speak Japanese fluently." She eventually spoke up. It wasn't exactly what Dick had been hoping to hear, but it was definitely a start.

"Do you? Why did you learn it?" He asked. Though it didn't directly tell him much about her past, maybe there was a hidden meaning behind her having learned the language.

"That person who raised me other than my parents wanted me to learn it." She spoke almost carefully. * _Does this mean that person is Japanese?_ *

"Why Japanese?"

"The deal was one question per game, Nightwing, and I've answered two already." Jasmine smirked and Dick sighed.

"Can you actually speak Japanese, or was that a lie?" He asked quizzically and she put her hand to her chest as though offended.

"Anata ga yuiitsu no watashi ga uso to omou ka dō naze shitsumon o(Why ask me a question if you will only think I am lying)?" She spoke smoothly, and he gave a smile.

"Sore wa anata ga kanji, yoriyoi itta baai, watashi wa jissai ni anata o utagaumasendeshita

(If it makes you feel any better, I did not actually doubt you)." He said to her. Dick had learned a large variety of languages over the years and Japanese was one of them. At his response, her eyes seemed to almost brighten up.

"You speak Japanese." Jasmine stated, smiling almost happily as she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them loosely.

"I may know a bit." He said modestly, even though he knew it really well. It had been one of the foreign languages he learned when he was younger. What made him curious was why she seemed to be so delighted at the fact that he could speak it, "You seem happy about it."

Jasmine's averted her gaze from him and looked across the room. Her left hand went to her waist almost what seemed like subconsciously, though when her fingers met only air, he realized that she had been about to touch her whip. She gave a small frown but instead raised her hand to her neck. From it, she pulled a necklace out and ran her thumb over the pendent. It had been invisible earlier due to the cloak covering it. The pendent itself wasn't anything fancy. It was clearly wooden, though it had been well painted. It was a black 'X' with a thin, deep red line that went down the middle of it. While it seemed like something of importance to her, he didn't pay it too much attention, "It's been a while since I've spoken in Japanese to someone." She answered in a soft voice.

Dick studied her for a moment, about to speak once more when Jason contacted him, "Batman's here and wants to speak with you."

"I'll be right there." Dick sighed then looked to Jasmine, who was looking at him expectantly, "I have to go for now." He said to her, slowly standing up then walked to the door before pausing and looking back at her, "I'll also have to lock the door."

"That's fine. I get it. Just remember your promise." She said, and he gave a small nod before stepping out and locking the door behind him as he closed it. With her whips in hand, he began to make his way back to the Batcave where he was sure Bruce was waiting. If anything, he would guess that his former mentor wanted to get as much information about Jasmine as he could, and since Dick has spent the largest amount of time with her, he would know the most.

Really, Dick still didn't know that much about Jasmine. She was a mystery, and now he knew that she wanted to be one, since she basically said so herself. He figured out small things about her, though nothing exactly vital other than who her parents are, which he concluded after the first day of meeting her. Her personality was unique as well. It was obvious she liked to joke around, be sarcastic and be a little arrogant even, but he also has seen this more serious, dark and…sad part of her. The two groups were entirely different, with one being light-hearted and the other being solemn, and it would almost seem odd to put them together in one. However, she did just that. She was sarcastic, yet dark, teasing but serious, and arrogant yet sad. As the elevator reached the Batcave, he cleared his thoughts and walked out, seeing Bruce and Jason talking quietly. The two quieted and looked over as Dick arrived, which made him a little suspicious, but he knew that they wouldn't keep anything important from him.

"The girl is in the room?" Bruce asked right as he came up.

"Hello to you too, Bruce. Jasmine is in the room, and yes, I do have her whips," He began, holding up her whips as he spoke of them, "The only other thing she has with her is a necklace, but it doesn't pose a threat."

Bruce nodded at all of this then began to walk towards the elevator, "What information have you found out about her?" He asked, telling Dick that he wanted him to follow. Why he didn't just ask, he had no idea. Sighing, he jogged over and fell into step beside his old mentor.

"Only a few small things. She isn't very open about herself or her past. She speaks Japanese fluently, and had another person who raised her. If I were to guess, this other individual taught her how to fight using whips and was possibly Japanese, which was how she learned how to speak the language fluently. This person is also probably why she doesn't share Joker and Harley's views." Dick explained as the elevator raised them up. It opened and he and Bruce stepped out.

"Is this is all you were able to figure out?" He asked, looking over at him. Dick knew this wasn't meant to be an insulting question. He was genuinely curious, not condescending.

"The only other thing is that she is extremely attached to her whips and the necklace she has seems to hold some significance to her, though I didn't find this to be as important of information."

Bruce nodded before coming to a stop outside the room Jasmine was locked in. "I see. So she has hardly given you any extremely vital information besides the fact that someone other than her parents raised her." He sighed, and Dick nodded, "Well, then I suppose I'll just have to unearth these secrets of hers." Bruce said lowly, causing Dick to frown.

"If she doesn't want to tell us her past, then-" He began but Bruce held up his hand.

"Then she won't be accepted to train under me. Nightwing, I have no reason to trust Jasmine Quin, and if she will not put any trust in me, then I can't put any trust in her. I need to know about her more than just this simple information. For all I know, she's made this all up to get to know our identities for Joker and Harley." He said evenly and Dick grits his teeth, but knew Bruce was right and being logical.

"I understand."

"Good. Now I need to speak with her. Alone." Bruce said strictly and Nightwing bit back a protest, wanting to say that he should be on this "interrogation" considering he found her. However, if Jasmine were to be accepted as the new Batgirl, then he knew that this one on one meeting between the two of them would be important.

Without a word, Dick spun on his heels and walked away from Bruce, hoping that the talk would go well. He knew that if Jasmine wouldn't cooperate with Bruce then she would ruin her chances of fighting for justice. If that happened, she would have to be transferred somewhere else, since he knew that Bruce probably wouldn't just let her stay here. Where she would end up if that happened though, he had no idea. He did know something, however. There was no way he was just going to let her be by herself, even if she wasn't accepted. Dick wasn't exactly sure why he felt so strongly about this, but he would help her. No matter what.


	6. Chapter 6

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 6

Waking up had been no easy task. It wasn't that Jasmine had much of a headache or anything. Her eyelids had felt so heavy, and she felt rather weakened, which probably wasn't that big of a surprise considering it had been lack of oxygen that caused her to pass out. However, the feel of one of her whips being tugged away had been enough to pull out from her drowsy sleep-like state. She was hardly ever separated from the two weapons. Even making Nightwing promise her still made her uneasy. However, she knew that if she didn't give them up, they would just be taken from her. It would be better for her to hand them over sort of on her own terms.

Speaking with Nightwing had been rather interesting. While she had fun messing with him, she also knew that the only reason he was even around was because he was interested in her past and who she was. Not because of anything else. She could tell from all the questions he asked, though she was pretty determined to keep her past to herself. He said it would be better to tell someone, but she would disagree with that. No one would understand, and like she told Nightwing, she really didn't want the pity.

Saying that she could speak Japanese didn't seem to be much of a big revelation about her. When she said it and studied him, he seemed slightly disappointed, though it was hard to tell with his mask covering his eyes. Eyes are windows to the soul, after all. However, hearing him speak the language back to her…she couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness go through. It had been a really long time since she had actually gotten to speak Japanese to anyone, and be spoken back to in the same tongue. It brought back good memories, and even some bad, but they had been welcomed. She spent a long time trying to forget particular memories to make coping easier, but it had been refreshing to just relive the moments. Of course, the bad ones were less refreshing, but even such times had to be remembered.

When Nightwing left, Jasmine leaned back against the bedframe for a moment and took in the room. There weren't any windows, and the whole room was nice, but bland. There was the bed she was laying on, the nightstand beside the bed with a lamp on top and a dresser across the room. Her small bag of belongings had been placed beside the dresser. To her right were two doors, which if she were to guess, were a closet and a bathroom. In other words, she was in a nice prison cell. The door even locked from the outside.

It was apparent that she wasn't trusted and she honestly couldn't blame Batman, Robin or Nightwing for not trusting her. If she was in their shoes, she wouldn't trust herself either. This doesn't mean that she particularly liked being contained. Again. She's been contained for nineteen years and hardly had been allowed to go outside since her parents had wanted to keep her existence a secret. When Jasmine ran, her heart had been pounding and all she had been thinking of was getting away. She didn't take the time to appreciate the breath of fresh air, the gentle caress of the light breeze, or the beauty of the shimmering stars and glowing moon above her head. Now, it was taken from her again. * _It won't be forever._ * She thought to herself, taking a calming deep breath.

The second day Nightwing came to see her, he had mentioned that Batman may be able to offer her an option to do good. It made Jasmine wonder just what exactly it was. Her information about her parents' territory was numerous, but she would be outdated on that information as time went on, and there is only so much she could do with exposing building positions and their significance. Eventually, she would become useless. She never really considered that she would become Batgirl, or part of the Bat Family at all. Why would they want Joker and Harley Quinn's daughter to join them? It wasn't that she wouldn't like to. It was more that Jasmine was positive they wouldn't like her to, and the thought of even getting the chance, well, it wasn't even a thought that occurred to her.

Sighing, Jasmine fingered the pendent that hung from her neck before standing up. She walked over to the two doors and opened each, smirking lightly when she found that they were exactly as she predicated. A small closet and bathroom. There wasn't much else to see, so she went to her little bag of belongings and crouched beside it. She opened it up and took a small book out. There wasn't much else to do, and she brought only three books. Of all the books she had read, three was a very small number. The book was _The Remains of the Day_ by Kazuo Ishiguro. A spectacular book, Jasmine had to say, and the writing in it was absolutely beautiful. She admired the way the author had written the book, since he wrote it in the point of view of a butler born in the 1800s that now lived in the early 1900s, so the English the butler used was all very formal.

Closing the bag, Jasmine made her way back to the bed and lied down on her back before turning the book to page one. The action of it was all so familiar, she could have sworn nothing had changed and she was still in the old house she had been in for the past three months. She never stayed in a house longer than a year. She was constantly moved around between three houses. There used to be four, but the fourth burned down when she was very young. The very thought of that fourth house made her shudder, and she quickly pushed these thoughts aside before turning her attention back to the page. Her eyes moved over the words, and before long, she was enraptured in the tale of the butler and his own memories.

Jasmine was perhaps 60 pages in when she heard some movement outside of her door. Slowly, she shifted her eyes from her current page before shutting the book and lightly placed it on the nightstand. While she heard the murmur of voices, it was much too muffled for her to be able to make out what was being said or who was saying them. Hearing the voices come to an end, she stood up expectantly and leaned back against the wall, wondering if it was Nightwing or Batman who was going to be coming through the door. As it opened, her eyes rested on the black cloaked Dark Knight. The cape swept behind him as he walked in, closing the door behind him as he did.

Jasmine couldn't help but feel quite intimidated by his entrance. It wasn't that she was scared of him. In fact, she respected the man more than feared him. She just had a very basic knowledge of just what exactly he could accomplish by the ramblings and protests of her parents. It wasn't hard to imagine that he wouldn't be particularly thrilled of her existence, or the fact that Joker had been able to successfully keep her hidden without his knowledge for nineteen years. To say the least, she was simply wary of him. Subconsciously, her hands went to her waist to seek comfort from the cold touch of her whips, only for her fingertips to be met with fabric instead.

"Jasmine Quinn." He greeted gruffly, standing more so in the middle of the room than anything. He didn't get too close.

"Batman. It's a pleasure to see you again." She said in a pleasant tone, though her face remained solemn.

"There is very little known about you, Jasmine Quinn. Either you will tell me your past and your current motivation for wanting to be accepted here, or I can do nothing for you," He said lowly and Jasmine frowned.

"You got to the point rather quickly." She stated.

"I don't stall with unnecessary pleasantries."

"How is my past relevant to you? Isn't it enough that I wish to go on a different path than my parents?" Jasmine asked almost sharply.

"Anyone can claim they want to go on a different path. There isn't any way to tell if you are serious or just a really good liar." He responded and she gritted her teeth.

"My past is personal. I can't just tell you every little thing about myself!" She said in frustration.

"Then I am wasting my time speaking with you." Batman growled, turning his back to her. He began to walk to the door and Jasmine felt her heart start to pound. She never spoke of her past to anyone, and she didn't trust people. He was asking her to do something that was completely out of her comfort level, and yet, it was the only way to achieve what she longed for. It was either expose her entire identity to this man who possibly hated her and decide to trust him, or get thrown out on the streets.

"Wait." She burst out as he rested his hand on the handle. He paused but didn't turn around, "I'll tell you, but I do ask for one favor." She said quietly. Hearing a sigh, she watched as he turned back around and returned to the middle of the room once more.

"You aren't in much of a position to be asking favors." Batman said gruffly.

"It isn't going to be that much of a bother."

"What is it?"

Jasmine took a deep breath, "Keep this information about me confidential."

Batman was silent for a moment before he gave a slow nod, "Thank you." Jasmine breathed then reached up and fiddled with the necklace, which was a nervous habit she did since she didn't have her whips with her, "Where should I begin? When things became important, or do you want to know everything?"

"Every detail is important, Jasmine, even if others call them unimportant." He said evenly and she sighed. He hadn't exactly answered her question.

Jasmine paused and rested her eyes on the ground for a moment, unsure how to begin. There was plenty to speak about, sure. Her early life could be summarized all with one event and her personality. The real difference occurred when Risuka Tamashi came into her life. Without her, Jasmine would have ended up like her parents, if not worse. It was Risuka that taught her everything and shaped her with values opposite of her parents. Really, she was basically her mother for many years. At least, that is how Jasmine viewed her as. Harley couldn't even compare.

"This may take a while."

"I have time."

Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest and kept fiddling with her necklace before finally speaking up, "I was exactly what you would have expected me to be when I was young," She began, meeting Batman's covered eyes evenly and seriously.

"Harley was mostly the one who raised me at this time, but the time I was around my father was more than enough to make me think a certain way. Harley honestly had a smaller influence on me compared to Joker's. I believed myself superior to everyone except him, and I acted like it. I learned to follow my impulses. If I was angry or upset, I hit something. If I wanted something, then I took it. Nothing had much discipline, if any. At the age of four, I was able to trick henchmen who watched me, which usually ended with them being killed, whether they did their job well or not. I learned that people were meant to be used, and when their significance ran out, then they were to be killed, since they filled their role." She said in an almost expressionless kind of voice as she thought back to herself as a young child. Batman's frown had deepened as he listened, but he didn't express any other emotion, and was silent as she continued.

"I only ever stayed in a series of four houses for a few months before I was moved to another location. It was a precaution in case you ever found evidence leading towards my existence in a certain domain," She began, only for him to interject for a moment.

"Why was Joker so secretive about hiding you for so long?"

"I was supposed to be a surprise, and good enough to rival Robin in combat. I believe they were planning on revealing me soon." She answered immediately.

"The fuse of the bomb." Batman muttered, and she tilted her head slightly in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Continue on." Batman said, crossing his arms over his chest. She wanted to say that if she were to trust him with this information, then he should show her some kind of trust, but didn't say anything, since really, he had no reason to trust her.

"When I was about five, I had been staying in one of these four houses during the winter season. During the time of my stay, I found a stray gray, black striped cat. It was the first thing I ever really showed true affection for. I used to feed it secretly and take it inside. I named this cat Nero, which actually ends up being a rather ironic name. I had been alone in the house, and a fire was burning in the fireplace to keep the place warm. A spark flew off from the fire and caught the house on fire. It spread really pretty quickly, and being five with no knowledge of what to do in a fire, I remained in the room. The cat was with me at the time, but since all the doors had been closed, it couldn't get out. Nero caught on fire and in its panic, jumped at me before it collapsed a few seconds later, dead. I remember the smoke choking me and the unbearable heat. When I tried to get out, the door handle was unbearably hot to touch, so I was trapped inside." She said, swallowing hard before continuing.

"A-A police officer broke into the house. He must have been on a patrol alone and saw the fire. He kicked the door down and picked me up and took me outside. I remember him asking if I was okay and where my parents were, and thinking that…he saved me even though I believed him to be inferior. Then a gunshot rang out, and he jolted backwards, clutching his shoulder as my father walked up behind me. "Jasmine, what do we do with people after they have been useful to us?" He asked me and I remember staring at the police officer, who had this look of disbelief and horror on his face and smiling before saying that they are rewarded by being killed quickly than those who aren't useful." She said, her voice shaking only slightly. For as long as she lived, she would never forget the look on that man's face as her father pointed his gun at his head. "What can I say? She's Daddy's little girl." The police officer had met her eyes with this look that Jasmine now recognized as self-hatred, since he had saved a monster from the fire, not a little girl. Then, the bullet had been placed in his forehead.

"My father shot him in the head, and I've had a phobia of fire ever since that night." She finished shortly before looking to the side and staring at the wall.

"I didn't really change much from this evil little girl until Joker and Harley decided that I had a true future in being a merciless killer with something other than a gun when I was seven. Their logic was that if guns couldn't beat you or Robin, then other weapons must be able to. Not too long afterwards, they abducted a woman who had recently moved to Gotham from Japan. Her name was Risuka Tamashi. I don't know how they figured out what they did, but she was an expert in wielding whips and martial arts. They gave her the option to either be killed, or return with them and train me to use whips and fight. She chose life." She said, her voice becoming soft as she spoke of the woman.

"When we first met, I hated her, and even attacked her. She easily dodged my attacks until I tired out then expressed that she was in charge of me, and not the other way around. She was the first person who had actually stood up to me in any way, which made me curious about her, so I started cooperating with her lessons. She actually didn't start the lesson having me fight. Instead, she taught me manners and discipline, two things I never learned in my seven years of living. It was tough for both of us at first, but eventually I began to listen to her since I didn't want to be punished for actions I now saw as bad. I learned how to be polite and how to control my emotions. If I got angry, I wouldn't just hit something. I learned to contain it, control it and dissipate it. While she taught me this, she also made me do flexibility, core and balancing exercises. This lasted about a year, and by the end of it, I looked up to Risuka more than anyone. I no longer cared as much about my parents. She took their place. She taught me how to love someone, and what it felt like to be loved in return." She said quietly, her eyes softening.

"This didn't change everything though. I still thought other people as inferior, and I didn't see the value in anyone's life. They were just things that could be taken by will to me. Nothing else. I think she knew this, and there were times she would try to explain it differently, but I would just roll my eyes or laugh. Each action made her mad, but I couldn't wrap my head around it. At least, not yet. At the beginning of my eighth year, I had become extremely flexible, my balance was top notch, and I was in pretty good shape for an eight year old. This was the year, she told me, that I would begin to learn about how to use a whip. The first lesson was understanding the pain I would put people through. I remembering telling her than I didn't care what pain I put people through, since I would be killing them anyways. She had stared at me then made me take my shirt off. "To use the whips, you must first understand their power." She had said. She put the pain on a scale of one to three. She told me which level she was going to use, then she whipped me. I received ten lashes from the first two levels and five from the third level four times a week. She said when I could take the pain without crying out, and then we would advance. It took seven months, but eventually I grew use to the pain." She said and Batman seemed to study her as she did.

"Do you have scars on your back from these lashes?" He asked and she nodded.

"Risuka was a good medic, so she was able to treat the scars well enough for them to become faint on my skin. They are really hard to see, but they aren't invisible." She explained to him, then slowly drew her cloak off. Beneath it she wore a blue tanktop and black running shorts. She turned around so her back faced him, "If you look closely by my shoulders, you should be able to see some faint scars." She said, deciding that letting him see them would help prove to him that everything she was saying was the truth. Jasmine heard Batman take a small step forward.

"I see." He said and she turned around with a nod before continuing.

"Once I could deal with the pain, she then taught me how to use the whips. I learned how to wield them rather quickly under her instruction, so she taught me some martial arts during it and began to teach me how to speak Japanese as well. These lessons went on for years. When I was 13, I reached her level of mastery with the whips. She taught me how to kill with whips, but also how to knock people out using them. With the years that I listened to her, I began to understand that I was just like other people. There wasn't anything about me that made me better than anyone else. I started to see that everyone had their own importance and role on life, though I didn't truly understand the value a life has until I was 15. At this time, Risuka and I had a plan to escape from whatever house we were in and go to Japan where we would live as mother and daughter. I could speak Japanese fluently by now, and I could now beat her in a fight. There was one night that we decided to put this plan into action. Throughout the week I had taken small amounts of money from my parents until we had enough for plane tickets. We packed lightly and that night, I remember her being hesitant about going, but I told her not to worry. I talked her back into it. We were sneaking through the house and almost made it to the front door when my father stepped in front of us." She said, her voice beginning to shake a little. She clenched her hands into fists, trying to steady herself.

"He took out a gun and laughed, asking if we were going anywhere. I had told him to let us go. I should have just attacked him right then and there, but I didn't. He had laughed at what I said, and then said one of us was due to leave anyways. Then he turned to Risuka. 'You're contract is officially released,' he said. Then he raised his gun and levelled it between her eyes-" Jasmine spoke, her voice shaking and hushed.

"Jasmine-" Batman began.

"-then he pulled the trigger and put a bullet between her eyes, and turned to me and said to let that be an example," She finished, feeling something on her cheek, Reaching up, she brushed her hand over her cheek, only to find it come away wet. She hadn't cried in…well, four years. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself before looking to Batman, "After that, I have done what I have been told to do until now. Thankfully, they didn't ask for much."

Jasmine fell into silence and leaned back against the wall, her eyes locked on the ground. Oddly, she felt almost at peace having said everything. It made her think back to what Nightwing said about how speaking of her past to someone would be better than containing it. She truly hadn't believed that would be the case, but maybe he had been right. It didn't stop her from feeling almost ashamed to look at Batman, considering she had indirectly killed two people. However, she knew she had to face her past and own up to it. So, after a moment, she slowly raised her eyes to the caped man in front of her. Batman slowly stepped towards her until he stood in front of her.

"I will only offer this to you once. If you refuse, then that's the end of it. Understood?" He said strictly, and Jasmine nodded silently.

"I will accept you to train under me, and eventually become Batgirl if you show that you are able to handle the danger and not kill your enemies. If you agree to this, I will make my identity known to you, along with Robin's. Nightwing will choose whether to tell you his or not. However, if you are to betray me, then there will be dire consequences." He said lowly.

Jasmine could hardly believe it. Batman would allow her to train under him even after hearing her past? She was so sure that he would have thrown her out after hearing it, "I will gratefully take you up on your offer, Batman. You don't need to worry about me speaking of your or Robin's identities. I wouldn't have told you anything if I was planning on betraying you in the long run." She said genuinely.

Batman nodded before his mask began to come away, revealing a man with blue eyes and black hair who held his hand out to her, "Let me properly introduce myself. I'm Bruce Wayne." He said and she blinked in surprise. While Jasmine had been kept away from basically everything about the world, even she knew who Bruce Wayne was. She offered the man a small smile then took his hand.

"It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Bruce."


	7. Chapter 7

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 7

Sitting in the Batcave, Dick Grayson inspected Jasmine's whips. They were really quite interesting, being made of a black metal that was light enough to keep the weapon balanced. It was plated along the whip as well, almost like scales. He spent most of his time studying that part of it until finally looking to the hilt, which revealed quite a surprising aspect of the two weapons. There was a small band that when twisted would make the metal plates along the whip stick out. Each risen plate was sharp, and he could only imagine how painful the wound would be if lashed by the whip when it was in this form. The plates would dig into the skin and then rip through it multiple times, not just a simple little lash.

After thoroughly checking both weapons, finding that they were identical, Dick wondered just how Jasmine came to get them. He had never seen anything like them before, and had a feeling that if they were sold in Gotham, then plenty of criminals would be using them now. Recoiling them, he slowly stood up, only to hear footsteps. Looking over, he saw Jason approaching and gave him a light smile, though he wasn't really why Jason was still awake. In fact, the younger boy wasn't even dressed as Robin, but rather in casual lounging clothes. It was extremely late, and really, he should be getting some rest. It had been a long and eventful night. Even Dick was starting to feel the effects of fatigue, though he hid it rather well.

"I thought you said you were going to get some sleep." He spoke up, which made Jason sigh softly as he walked forwards.

"I was, but I figured that you would want to know the result of Bruce and Jasmine's talk." He yawned, though Dick became increasingly interested.

While studying Jasmine's whips had been a good activity to occupy his thoughts, before it all he could think about the conclusion the talk would reach. Jasmine seemed hell bent on keeping her past a secret, much to Dick's dismay, and he knew that Bruce would ask for it. Honestly, he had no idea how Jasmine would react or if she would cooperate or not. All he could do was hope that she would. He knew that she had the potential to be an amazing Batgirl if given the chance. However, he also knew that with the rate of how things were progressing, it was really early to push her into such a role, considering she had only been able to escape her parent's clutches earlier during the night. Bruce wasn't really one to stall though, and probably thought that if she truly was serious about working under him, then she would step up to the training immediately. Really, Dick could see the whole exchange resulting negatively and positively, so he had been unable to even predict the possible outcome with much confidence, which was something he really wasn't use to. If anything, Dick had an extraordinary amount of confidence in himself and his abilities, both physical and cognitive.

"So you heard the outcome?" He asked, showing obvious interest.

"I wouldn't have come down if I didn't have the information. Though I do have a question for you before I tell you what it was." He said and Dick sighed, not really in the mood to be kept waiting to hear the result. He didn't really have much of a choice though.

"What is it?"

Jason narrowed his eyes only slightly as he peered at Dick before speaking up, "Why are you so interested in this girl?"

The question caught Dick off guard for a moment. His lips parted to say something, but something came out. There was that word again. Interested. Jasmine used it earlier, and now Jason mentioned it. Once more, he was left wondering how it was meant to be used in this context, but he had a pretty good feeling what Jason meant by it. It was true that he was a ladies' man. He had shown romantic interest in plenty of women over the years, and they typically returned the feelings. However, every relationship ended and never went much of anywhere. He came close to marrying Koriand'r, but even that had come to an end.

"She needed my help. I just want to be sure she is receiving what she deserves." He said all professional like, though even he was uncertain of his words. As Jason raised his eyebrows, he decided that Jason knew he wasn't certain either.

"Right. Just like the dozens of other girls you save on a weekly basis? Then why don't you obsess over them?" He stated sharply and Dick frowned.

"I'm not _obsessing_ over her, Jason."

Jason shook his head at what he said. "It's something other than a simple want of helping her, Dick, and I'm pretty sure you know that."

Sighing, Dick turned his head and fixed his eyes on the wall, deep in thought before answering, "I haven't saved someone like her before. She isn't just some damsel in distress. She was actually stuck in a situation that could have shaped her life permanently for the worse. If I hadn't found her, she would have been revealed as a killer even though she doesn't want to be one. Knowing that Jasmine will have the life that she desires other than the nightmare she almost had to live will put me at ease." He said finally, meeting Jason's eyes despite his still being concealed behind a mask.

"I'm not too sure you'll be completely 'at ease' with her even if she does get the life she desires." He muttered.

"Then why ask me this at all if you have already formed your own opinion?" Dick snapped, frustrated that Jason kept turning this against him. It wasn't like he was out to hurt Jasmine or anything.

"To see if you're recognizing what I am," Jason said lowly then took a small step closer to him, "If your prediction is right and she has hardly had social interaction, then she can't give you what you want from her. So leave her _out_ of it, Richard," He said seriously and coldly. Dick was a bit taken aback at hearing Jason use his real name and the intensity of what he said. Narrowing his eyes, he opened his mouth to say that he didn't want anything from Jasmine, but Jason cut him off.

"Bruce has accepted her to train under him. Both Bruce and I have introduced ourselves to her, but Bruce is letting you decide whether you reveal your identity or not," He said thinly before turning and walking away, probably to go back to his room.

Dick watched Jason go, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head, trying to clear the anger away. Thankfully, it was rather easy to dissipate it with the news. Bruce had accepted Jasmine to be Batgirl. That meant Jasmine told him her past. Relief began to wash through him and rolled his shoulders to relax the tension from his muscles. He had to go see her then. He had a promise to keep, after all. Taking Jasmine's whips he headed to the elevator that led back to the manor.

As he rose up, his thoughts went back to Jason. Did Jason truly think that he planned on using Jasmine? It didn't make sense to him. He would never do that, and besides, he decided it would be best to not get into any more serious relationships. With his "work," there was no telling what could happen. However, it did make him rather unsettled about how he was so eager when it came to Jasmine, whether it be information about her or simply going to see her. Could Jason truly be on to something that he was blind to?

Dick shook his head and stepped out as the elevator door opened. Surely Jason wasn't correct. He didn't express anything for the girl other than a sense of protectiveness for her. That was all it was. He walked down the hallway, only to realize Jason hadn't told him what room she was currently residing in. He sighed softly, only to hear light footfalls. Quickly, he strode down the hallway and turned a corner, expecting to see Jasmine. Perhaps she had gotten lost, or maybe was just wandering the hallway. Either way, he was set on approaching her.

"Jasmi-" He began, only to cut off as he saw it was Bruce, who looked over at him from over his shoulder, "Oh, hey Bruce. I thought you may have been Jasmine." He said casually.

"Last time I remembered, I don't look much like a girl." Bruce said with a small smirk and Dick gave a small laugh.

"Maybe you should spare one more glance in a mirror." He mocked lightly in response, and Bruce simply shook his head.

"She's in the room five doors down from yours." He spoke before resuming walking down the hallway towards his own room.

Dick turned to go until a thought occurred to him. He jogged over and fell into step beside Bruce for a moment, "Did she tell you her past?" He asked, gazing over at him curiously.

"She did." Bruce responded shortly, his own eyes locked ahead of him.

"What exactly is it, Bruce?" Dick asked seriously, which pulled a small sigh from Bruce and he slowly stopped and turned to him.

"It isn't my place to say." He said firmly and Dick frowned, but before he could speak up, Bruce spoke once more, "She'll tell you when she is ready to, Dick. After hearing it, I can understand why she wants to keep it hidden." He said strictly before turning away and walking off.

This time, Dick didn't walk after him. He stood and watched as his former mentor walked farther away before moving out of sight as he turned a corner. Leaning back against the wall, he ran a hand through his rather long black hair before turning back to walk to Jasmine's new room. After hearing what Bruce said, it only made him even more curious about her past. He knew that it wasn't going to be good, considering how she hid it and her parents were Joker and Harley. He hadn't expected Bruce to keep it from him, but it seemed he would have to get Jasmine to tell him. It definitely wouldn't be an easy feat, but it was one he was determined to accomplish. Besides, he would like Jasmine to be able to trust him, so he guessed that not being told just yet really wasn't that bad.

Dick made a series of turns before walking down the hallway that contained his and Jasmine's room. He was a little surprised that Bruce gave her a room so close to his, but decided it made sense considering he spent most of his time in Bludhaven now, and she also knew him the most out of the three of them. Not only that, but after not being around people all her life, having close contact with someone was probably good. Along the topic of Bludhaven, he realized that his absence has been longer than he intended. Really, he needed to get back. Stopping outside Jasmine's room, he gazed at the wooden door for a moment.

Even though Dick knew he needed to get back, he also really didn't want to leave with Jasmine having just arrived. Duty was duty though, and he really didn't have that much of a choice. Well, he did, but he couldn't abandon Bludhaven. It was his home now. His city to protect. Once morning came along, he should be on his way back. Unless…he stayed at Wayne Manor during the day but fought in Bludhaven at night. His city really wasn't that far from Gotham by any means, and he would only be staying until he was sure that Jasmine was settling alright. That was all. Then he would leave the manor and return to his apartment like usual. Bruce probably wouldn't mind him staying as well, which was a bonus. Reassured by this plan, he gave three knocks on the door.

"Come in, Nightwing." A feminine voice called, and he couldn't help but give a light smile before walking into the room. As he stepped through, his eyes settled on Jasmine and he paused for a moment. The moon bathed her in a silver light, turning her light brown hair almost a white color, and her eyes reflected gray with the faintest color of blue and green here and there. Her lightly tanned skin now appeared almost pearly white. The window was open, which let in a cool breeze that swept her hair a little behind her. Upon his entrance, she shifted her eyes over to him for a moment before looking back out the window.

"So, you have met Bruce and Jason." He stated after clearing his throat and she nodded.

"I have. Jason seemed rather surprised I was accepted." She said softly, though she kept gazing outside of the window.

"He's just tired is all. Jason tends to get a little sharp when he gets hit by exhaustion." He said to her, standing beside her. It was then that she shifted her eyes over to him and he gave her a small smile before holding out her whips. Her eyes widened and she broke out into a wide smile, taking them into her possession once again.

"You remembered." She breathed softy, running her thumbs along the hilt of each whip before attaching them to her waist.

"Of course. I always keep my promises." Dick said to her gently.

"So you do." She murmured, casting a small glance at him before smirking lightly, "What did you figure out about my whips?"

He raised his eyebrows and glanced down at her, "What makes you think I learned anything new about them?" He asked, which earned a small laugh from her and she gave him an almost smug look.

"You're rather nosy. I figured that you couldn't help but inspect them." She said smoothly and he cracked a smile.

"I'm not nosy, just observant. However, you are correct. I did inspect them. The metal plates come out if you turn a band on the hilt." He said and she nodded.

"A good find. Most people would have skipped over that." She stated, running her fingers lightly over the bands on the whip hilts.

"I'm not most people."

"So I've noticed." Jasmine said softly before turning her eyes back outside quietly. Dick watched her for a moment before following her gaze out the window, but found nothing of particular interest.

"Has something caught your eye?" He asked, to which Jasmine looked over at him. One of her eyes was a silvery blue and the other, cast in shadow now that her head was turned from the window, was its natural blue-green color.

"You could say that. Though it isn't really a something. It's just the whole sight. I'm used to alleyways and other boring surroundings. I've barely seen anything else all my life. So this is…" She began, her voice trailing off as she returned her eyes to the outside.

"Beautiful." Dick murmured, though his eyes rested on her as he said it. At his words, he caught the faintest trace of a smile curve on her lips.

"You got it, Big Shot." She said softly before sighing lightly, "But I'm sure you didn't come here to stare out the window. What do you need?"

"I don't need anything. I was just going to congratulate you on being accepted and give you back your whips-" He began and she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.

"I mean the real reason, Nightwing."

He was quiet for a moment and shook his head in amazement, chuckling lightly, "I really can't seem to get anything past you, Jasmine Quinn." He said and she smiled.

"Oh, I'm sure you can get plenty past me. I may only have known you for three days, and I still don't actually know you, but what I do understand about you is that in the end it all comes down to business and curiosity, doesn't it?" She said, standing up straight and turning towards him.

"That's not-" He began but she shook her head and stepped closer so she was just in front of his chest, which made him trail off as he gazed down at her.

"I think it's pretty accurate. You're here to ask me about my past again, am I correct?"

"I thought about it." He answered honestly and she glanced to the side with an unreadable expression.

"Just because I told Bruce doesn't mean I wanted to or that I'm going to just open up and pour my heart out to you about how fucked up my history is." She said sharply, returning her eyes to his fiercely.

Dick shook his head and instinctively rested his hand lightly on her shoulder, "Look Jasmine. You think the only reason I'm here is because I want to know your past, but I honestly don't care how messed up your past is, or if you did terrible things when you were younger. I'm speaking to you and I'm here because I _want_ to be. Not because I have a story to gain from it. It's not like I'm expecting that you had a big happy family growing up. I want to be someone you can trust and that you can go to when you are upset." He said lowly and firmly. She stared at him for a moment before she lowered her eyes.

"Jasmine, I-" He began, his tone softer, only to abruptly cut off as she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close to him. He felt her rest her head on his shoulder and her breath lightly stirred against his neck. Pulling from his surprise, he relaxed and slowly wrapped his arms around her and rested his hands on her upper back.

Dick never realized just how short she was to him, but she had to be about 5'4 to his 5'10 height. He also never realized just how…small and fragile she seemed. Outwardly, she seemed rather confident, smug and fierce. He had never really thought of her as fragile in any way. Perhaps, he hadn't been looking deep enough though. It wasn't that she was petite that made him think her fragile at the moment; it was the air around her. There was almost this sense of sadness about her rather than the smugness he was used to seeing. This reveal of vulnerability only made Dick want to protect her even more and get closer to her. He couldn't describe the strong twist of emotions he was experiencing for the girl, but he did know that he was starting to feel a softness for her.

"Thank you." Jasmine whispered softly before pulling back and stood before him, though her head was turned from him as though she were trying to hide her emotions from him, or was embarrassed about her action.

"Of course." He breathed out, trying to interpret what she was feeling or thinking, but once again, she seemed to be one of the only people he was incapable of reading easily.

"But," She began softly then finally looked to him almost apologetically, "I can't just tell you my past."

Dick nodded slowly at what she said. If she truly had trust issues, then it made sense why even now she didn't trust him completely. An idea formed in his head and he looked to her with a small smile, "Remember that last deal we made? Let's cancel it. I have another in mind that may work better." He said and she gave a small smile.

"Depends. Do I still get my card matches?" She asked and he chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, sure." He shrugged. Those card matches would give him more time to spend with her.

"Alright then, what is this new deal you want to strike with me?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest and gazing at him with this amused and curious gaze. It was as if that earlier show of sadness had never happened.

"If I tell you something about me, then you have to tell me something about yourself. So, if I answer a question you have about me, then you have to answer a question I have about you." He said a little smugly, rather proud of his idea.

"Hmmm…so if I don't agree to this, then you won't tell me anything about yourself?" She asked, narrowing her eyes in what seemed like thought.

"That would be correct. The mask stays on, and for all you know, my real name actually is Nightwing." He said smoothly and she sighs softly but gives a nod.

"Fine. Deal." Jasmine said and he held his hand out for her. She stared at it for a moment then took it in her own. The two shook on their deal before pulling back.

"So, Nightwing, what is your name?" Jasmine asked, propping a hand on her hip and shifting her weight to her left foot.

Dick paused for a moment. He should have known this question was coming. Taking a deep breath, he let out an exhale before reach up and slowly pulling off his mask, revealing his gray-blue eyes. He felt oddly bare without his mask covering his eyes. It was easiest to tell what people are feeling or thinking when looking into their eyes. "Richard Grayson, but everyone just calls me Dick." He said to her, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his shoulder against the wall. A smile lighted up her features, and he noted that even though knowing his name was such a small thing, it seemed to make her rather happy.

"Well Dick Grayson, what question do you have for me?" She asked and he thought for a moment before speaking up.

"What's the name of person who used to mentor you?" He asked, meeting her eyes with his.

Jasmine hesitated for a moment before sighing lightly, "Risuka Tamashi." She finally spoke up, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Risuka Tamashi…the name sounded familiar. A distant memory rose up when he had been about 10 years old. There had been a search for a Japanese woman who had mysteriously gone missing shortly after arriving in Gotham. No one ever found her. For all he knew, she was still missing, but if she had been involved with Harley and Joker, it was likely she was dead. He remembered Bruce being particularly interested in her disappearance, but even he hadn't been able to solve the case, and eventually it had become forgotten.

"I see. Was she Japanese?" He asked and Jasmine nodded, which proved his earlier assumptions correct.

"Yeah. She was the one who taught me how to speak Japanese." She said softly.

"What happened to her?" He asked her gently and she was silent for a moment.

"She was killed." Jasmine said shortly. Dick sensed that he should drop the topic about her for today. It was evident that this woman had taken Harley and Joker's place in Jasmine's mind. She was probably killed in an event that involved one of her parents, and he guessed that she had seen what happened.

"My turn to ask questions. I have two free ones, right?" Jasmine quickly spoke and he shook his head.

"Nope. I asked about Risuka, not you. So really, you could have avoided answering those questions if you had wanted." He said with a smug smile and she rolled her eyes.

"You played that well. Okay, how old are you?" She asked. It was such a general question, and really, it was rather nice to move away from the serious topic he had brought up.

"Twenty-two. What about you?" Dick asked her with a smile.

"Nineteen."

"That's Jason's age." He said, watching as she slowly walked up to him.

"That's interesting. He seems older." She said, soon resting her hands on his shoulders, only to start pushing him backwards.

"What are you doing?" Dick asked, walking backwards slowly with a small smile.

"Kicking you out for tonight. I'm pretty tired." She smiled, giving one big push, which resulted in Dick's back hitting the door lightly. He couldn't help but give a small laugh at what she said.

"You could just ask me to leave instead of pushing me out, you know." He stated, turning his back and opening the door.

Jasmine smiled at him and gave a small shrug. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, I was expecting a bigger reaction than you simply just going with it." She said in an amused voice.

"Sorry to disappoint." Dick chuckled, placing his mask back on and stepping out. He looked at Jasmine, who was now leaning against the doorframe, from over his shoulder, "Good night, Jazz."

"Night Dick." She said quietly before stepping back from the doorway and gently shut the door.

Dick stood there for a moment before walking down the hallway to his room, which wasn't that far away. He stepped in and closed the door behind him before taking his mask off once more along with his suit. It was a nice relief to get out of the suit after being in it for hours on end. Dressed only in his boxers, he stretched his arms over his head as he walked to a dresser and opened it, pulling out a pair of black pants, which he slipped on before going into the bathroom. As he brushed his teeth, he did his best to not think about his interaction with Jasmine. It came to be impossible not to think about her after he finished and was lying in his bed. All he could think about was when she hugged him and what Jason said to him earlier.

* _She can't give me what I want from her…what exactly did Jason mean by this?*_ He thought to himself with a deep frown. Of course, it was possible that Jason really had just been tired and snappish. It wouldn't be the first time he said something he didn't meant due to exhaustion. Jason had just said it so seriously. It bothered Dick, especially since he didn't want the other boy who he thought of as a younger brother to think that he was out to use Jasmine for any purpose. When he said that he wanted to see if Dick was recognizing what he was, it made him think that perhaps the younger boy thought that Dick was lusting after Jasmine. It was definitely something that Dick hoped Jason didn't think.

* _Then again…maybe I only have half of it.*_ Dick thought to himself, thinking back to when Jasmine's hood had fallen from her features and the way Jason had stared at her for a moment. Could it be that Jason was the one infatuated by her, and thought Dick was as well? The man sighed and rolled over so his face was pressed against the pillow. It was all very complicated, and he wished to just stop overanalyzing the situation. Really, the only way he was going to figure it out would be to ask Jason, which he planned to do tomorrow. For now, he needed to rest. It had been a long night, and already he was feeling drowsiness overtaking him. So, Dick let himself doze off to sleep even though dozens of questions were spinning in his head.


	8. Chapter 8

**I would like to thank everyone for reading my story! I hope you like this new installment of Light and Dark. Before the chapter begins, I would like to inform you, my readers, that I have decided this is the start to a second part of the book. There is a rather big timeskip that I have included to take away repetitiveness, which would ultimately be many boring chapters that everyone would get sick of after the first few since Jasmine is now undergoing training. So, as it will mention in this chapter, this takes place a month after chapter 7, and any details of what happened that month** _ **will**_ **be made known throughout this chapter. So, thank you once again!**

 ***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 8

All was quiet at the Wayne Manor. It was about noon, and the sun shone high in the cloudless sky. Due to it being in the middle of April, the heat wasn't overbearing, but it wasn't really that cold either. Trees and flowers were just starting to blossom and small drifting dandelion fuzz drifted in the light breeze. Jasmine Quinn was lying on the grass under a tree, a book resting open on her stomach, though her eyes were turned up to gaze around her. She never realized how truly beautiful spring was. Back in her years of house confinement, she barely saw much of how spring actually changed the scenery aounnd her. Of course, the trees all grew their leaves back from being bare branches, but the change wasn't very drastic. At the Wayne Manor, however, was a different story.

After a month of being at the manor, Jasmine thought she may get used to being outside, or the view of everything. This wasn't the case. In fact, she couldn't get enough of being outside. Either she was training, with or without Bruce, or she was reading or walking outside. Of course, she did other things as well, but if she were to efficiently summarize all her days in the month she has been there, that was basically what it was. Training and being outside.

With no huge cases coming forth that put Gotham in huge danger or chaos, Dick had resumed his role in Bludhaven. What struck Jasmine by surprise was that he was still staying at the manor during the day, and then departed during the late afternoon. Each night, she was sure it would be the last time she would see him in a while. However, every morning when she came down for breakfast, he was sitting at the table with Jason. It wasn't that she was upset about him staying. Actually, Jasmine always felt a light and warm sensation fill her when she saw that he had returned from Bludhaven. She never knew why, exactly, but figured it was because she was the closest with him, though she and Jason had become good friends during the month of her stay. It was simply that she didn't expect him to be staying at the manor, especially since he was the protector of Bludhaven. Staying in his new city would be much easier than making the travel there every night. Despite their differences, Jason never seemed to mind that he was staying at the manor.

Jason had seemed a bit skeptical of her at first. Not that Jasmine really blamed him for it. Risuka always said it was better to be cautious than rash and impulsive. Despite his almost cold demeanor towards her at first, Jasmine had been determined to try and become friends with him. She didn't really know how friends were supposed to act, and really, her true knowledge of how they did was from books she read. She supposed Risuka was somewhat a friend, but she was more of a mentor and mother to her than anything. So really, Jasmine never truly had a friend. After her first week of being at the manor, Jason slowly seemed to relax around her. Now, the two were comfortable around each other. The one thing that always struck Jasmine as odd was that when she was with Dick and Jason came up, there seemed to be an almost intense air around the two of them. She wasn't sure what to make of it, or why it was there since Dick and Jason typically teased lightheartedly with each other.

While Jasmine spent quite a bit of time with Jason, she enjoyed being around Dick the most. With his duties in Bludhaven during the evening, and her having training for hours upon hours during the day, there were days where she would rarely see him. Despite this, they were still rather close, and Jasmine couldn't deny that being around him made her genuinely happy. They still had their deal in action, and she knew a bit more about him, and he knew a bit more about her. She figured out that his real parents had been acrobats, The Flying Graysons. They had been the best, and he had planned on being just as great. During one of their performances, the rope had snapped, and the two fell to their deaths as Dick watched. Bruce adopted him soon after that. Getting all that information had taken a lot of serious questions. It was a topic that Dick wasn't keen on talking about, she could tell. He became closed off and somber when it was brought up or he was speaking of it. He could talk about his parents just fine. Just not their deaths. So, she didn't bring it up with him after that.

Jasmine has beat around the bush about talking about Risuka's death. What she told him was that her father had killed her, though she didn't say how. All she saw was that it had been with a gun. Dick seemed to understand that she wasn't ready to speak about that particular death with him yet, so he asked other questions. As of now, he knew that she had a phobia of fire, hasn't eaten sweets or desserts in twelve years, has a fondness for cats and that she has a love for reading and sketching. While she has asked him more personal questions, he asked more surface questions, which she appreciated very much. There were times she could tell that he wanted to ask her more about her past, but it was evident that he was containing them for later.

There were also times that Dick would help Jasmine with her training. The first week had been the hardest, since Bruce was extremely critical when it came to her fighting style. Jasmine had learned how to kill, not simply knock her opponent out. When she first showed her fighting style, he would knock her to the ground, explain the fault in what she did, then make her do it again until she got it correctly, or in other words, she accomplished to do the particular move in a nonfatal way. She wasn't use to fighting with restraint, and it had definitely been hard getting use to holding back. That first week, she spent almost every second training and practicing. There had been one day that Dick walked in and helped her, and ever since then, he has helped her with her training when he had the time. Even Jason would help her from time to time as well. Really, Jasmine adapted and learned quickly. With her previous fighting knowledge, she wasn't starting exactly from scratch, though she now had to be aware of how she attacked unlike how she had basically made each fatal move Risuka taught her subconscious. After that first week, her improvement skyrocketed, and even though it was rather hard to read him most of the time, Jasmine believed that Bruce was actually rather pleased at the rate of her training.

"That seems like a really enrapturing story." A voice called out, pulling Jasmine from her thoughts. She tore her eyes away from the sky and looked over, seeing Dick slowly walking up.

"It actually is really good. I just got distracted." She said with a smile before taking the book into her hands and sitting up.

"What book is it?" He asked, tossing over an apple before sitting beside her.

"Thanks." Jasmine said, catching the red fruit before handing the book over to him.

"It's a book on astronomy. Jazz, you're reading a textbook." Dick said with a laugh, looking over and she rolled her eyes.

"I know I'm reading a textbook, Dick. It says it on the front. Like I said, it is very interesting." She said, taking a bite of the apple.

"You may be the only person I know who enjoys reading textbooks on their spare time."

"At least that makes me unique. Being like everyone else would be rather bland, wouldn't it?" She spoke with a small smirk and Dick shook his head slightly in amusement.

"You are definitely unique." He stated and she gave a small laugh.

Jasmine turned her eyes to him, only to see that he had leaned close to her. A gentle, amused smile had curved on his lips, and his gray-blue eyes shone faintly. There was a few seconds that they were like that, simply looking at the other until Dick raised one of his hands and lightly skimmed his fingertips over her hair. Jasmine caught her breath and could feel her heartbeat begin to pick up a little at the small action, which confused her. She didn't understand why her heart started to beat faster, or why she felt almost shy all of a sudden. It was only a second before Dick was drawing his hand back, holding a small bit of fluff from a dandelion.. Jasmine quickly bit into her apple and shifted her eyes away to calm down her odd feelings.

"This was in your hair." He said to her before letting the small little breeze tug it from his hand.

Jasmine leaned back against the tree and took a deep breath, "I see," She breathed out, earning her a curious look from him.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concern tinging his words. Jasmine looked over at him and smiled, any previous worries or thought of her previous reactions gone.

"You worry way too much, Dick. I'm fine. Anyways, I should have a few more minutes before I need to get back to training. Did you come over for any particular reason?" She asked and he sighed lightly, leaning back against the tree as well. His arm brushed against her shoulder as he did and Dick soon looked over at her.

"Alfred sent me to give you the apple since you decided to skip breakfast this morning."

* _Ah, so he didn't really come on his own accord._ * Jasmine thought, unable to keep back the small almost disappointing feeling settle over her.

"I should thank him then. I decided to get a head start on training this morning, but I lost track of time." She said, taking another bite of the apple. Now that she thought of it, she was rather ravenous. However, she was pleasantly surprised as Dick gave a small huff and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And I don't get any thanks for delivering it?" He muttered, though his eyes held a teasing light in them.

"Nope. You're just the delivery boy. Alfred was the actual thoughtful one." She smirked and watched as Dick got to his feet.

"I'm feeling underappreciated. Good bye, Ms. Quinn." He said before slowly beginning to stroll away.

Jasmine laughed before picked up textbook in her arms and got to her feet. She had to do a small jog to catch up to Dick, since he had much longer strides than she did. She soon sort of fell into step beside him and looked over. His eyes remained trained ahead, as though she hadn't just appeared at his side. Shifting the textbook to one arm, Jasmine lightly caught his wrist, bringing him to a halt and he looked over.

"Thank you for the apple." She said and he smiled before tossing his arm around her shoulders and resumed walking towards the manor.

"You're welcome. Now, you should probably finish that up and get back to training. Bruce will return from that meeting in approximately 10 minutes, give or take." He said to her, and she nodded seriously.

"Right, will do," She stated before looking back over at him, "How are things going in Bludhaven?" She asked and he gave a small shrug.

"Well, I suppose. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Just regular crimes from arrogant criminals who think they can get away with it."

"I see…before we part ways, I have a question." Jasmine spoke, stopping at the door that led inside the manor and turning to him. Dick pulled his arm from her shoulders as she turned and looked to her with an expectant look. He leaned his shoulder against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"If you have a base of operations in Bludhaven and nothing too notorious is happening in Gotham at the moment, then why do you stay here?" She asked, only to realize her question may have given him the wrong assumption, "Not that I don't like you being here. It's just…wouldn't it make more sense to stay in Bludhaven than making the trip from and to Gotham?" She quickly added.

Dick stared at her for a moment before pushing off from the wall. He rubbed the back of his neck and averted his gaze for a moment, "Well, you see, I'm staying because I want to-" He began, only for the door to open, which made him fall silent.

"Jasmine, you do realize that you really should get started on your practicing, right?" Jason spoke, levelling his gaze on her.

"Oh…yes, I do realize this. I'll see you around, Dick." She said to him. Dick gave a light smile and a small wave before she walked to the doorway. Jason stepped aside for her but lightly caught her arm as she was about to pass.

"I'll join you soon." He murmured in her ear, and then let her arm go. Jasmine smiled over at him before continuing on her way to her room.

As she quickly strode down the hallway, Jasmine took bites of the apple, reducing it down to the core just as she arrived. Over the course of the time she has been staying in the manor, she had received clothes so she wouldn't have to return to the houses she had been kept in. According to Bruce, it wasn't safe for her to go back there and wasn't necessary when clothes could easily be supplied to her. She didn't have a grand abundance of clothes, but she did have a nice selection. It ranged between formal gowns to running clothes. Usually when she was just practicing, she wore work-out clothes. However, when training with Bruce, Dick or Jason, she typically wore an outfit that Bruce said resembled what the Batgirl suit was like. The clothes were pretty skin tight but the fabric was very durable, making it easy to maneuver in.

Pulling on her training suit, Jasmine then grabbed her whips and attached them to her waist. Bruce had introduced her to Batarangs and other useful gadgets she would be using, but they were still down in the training room. Already, she had excellent aim with the Batarangs. Really, they weren't that different from throwing the bladed cards her parents had given her. The last thing she did was pull her hair into a ponytail and throw her apple core away before making her way down to the Batcave to train.

Upon entering, Jasmine saw Jason standing with his arms crossed, clearly waiting. He always did beat her down. There were times when she would even prepare everything beforehand and put it all on as fast as she could and it still was never enough. He's always waiting in the little training area with his arms crossed. After a while, Jasmine simply stopped trying to beat him down and accepted the fact that she probably never would, though she would never admit that aloud.

"You took a long time." Jason smirked and she sighed as she walked up.

"Correction. You took way too little time." She huffed and he laughed.

"I've had the time to be able to perfect the art of changing." He grinned and she rolled her eyes before giving a little laugh.

"I'll pass you one of these days. Just you wait. It'll be me waiting for you with my arms crossed," She said with arrogance that she truly didn't feel.

"Yeah, that'll be the day." Jason smirked before becoming more serious, "So, I'm actually not here to help you train. Bruce called me down along with you. I'm not really sure why. Do you have any ideas?" He asked.

Jasmine shook her head, puzzled by this. It would be the first time Bruce called down anyone other than her during her training, "Not any that may be relevant. Perhaps he wants us to spar?" She offered and Jason thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"I'm not too sure about that, though that seems like a more likely choice than others." He sighed.

"Well, if we do end up sparring, you better not hold back." She said to him sternly, making eye contact with him and he raised his eyebrows.

"I don't hol-"

"Yes, you do. I can tell when we spar on our own. Look Jason, I want to see just how much I have progressed under Bruce's training. Enemies aren't going to hold back an attack. I need to correctly assume what I need to work so I can become just as good as both you and Dick." She said to him seriously.

Jason gazed into her eyes for a moment before smiling and shook his head, "You astound me, Jasmine Quinn." He breathed before nodding, "Alright. No more holding back. I promise." He said, holding his hand out to her.

"Thank you. I hope you don't mind me asking, but how do I astound you?" Jasmine asked him curiously after taking his hand to seal the promise. Instead of letting go of her hand though, he instead tugged her forward. Jasmine rested her other hand on his chest to keep from fall and he leaned forward a bit.

"Your motivation and determination are what astounds me. Not only do you exhibit these qualities above those of average people, but you also live up to them. There aren't a lot of people who do that, Jasmine." He said to her gently. Jasmine felt his fingers move under her chin and tilt her head up. Her eyes locked on his blue and she felt a small burning sensation begin in her cheeks.

"You truly are remarkable." Jason said quietly with a light smile before pulling away from her.

"Th-Thank you." Jasmine stuttered, only to blink in surprise. She usually didn't speak like that, though she pushed it from her mind. It probably wasn't all that important, "Thanks for being my friend, Jason." She said with a warm smile towards him. She knew that he would be straightforward with her. With Dick, Alfred and Bruce, sometimes it took a little while to get a direct answer concerning certain things. Not only that, but ever since Jason has warmed up to her, he has been extremely nice and has helped her when she asked, and even when she hasn't. At what she said, Jasmine noticed Jason's smile fall and he averted his eyes from her for a moment. Concern filled her and she reached out, gently resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Jason, are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" She asked and he looked to her, meeting her eyes before smiling.

"No, no. You didn't say anything wrong. I'm completely fine." He reassured her and she let out a relieved sigh and smiled.

"Good. The two of you are here. Then we can start right away." Bruce's voice echoed.

Jasmine and Jason looked over to see the man strolling towards them. His eyes were calm as they settled on the two of them, but what surprised Jasmine was that he was still dressed in a suit. She glanced over at Jason as he walked up beside her to stand at attention. It wasn't like they actually had to. Bruce just had this sort of aura about him when it came to training. Even Jasmine straightened up and clasped her hands behind her back. She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, since Bruce expected his trainees to always be prepared for anything. She already learned this the hard way.

"Why did you call me down during Jasmine's training?" Jason asked as Bruce came to a stop in front of them.

"This isn't about her training. In fact," He began, meeting Jasmine's eyes, "we aren't going to train today. I only have a few minutes before my next meeting, so I'll say this quick and only once." He said, glancing at his watch for a moment before resting his eyes on the two of them seriously, "After this month of training, I have concluded that you are ready to take up the mantle as Batgirl, Jasmine. While you still have more to learn, I can't deny that your skills and abilities are advanced enough that you will be able to defend yourself against criminals, and also restrain yourself from killing anyone. It just happens that I am going to be busy all day and night today. That is where you come in, Jason. I want you and Jasmine to take patrol together tonight. You will also evaluate how she does. If you believe she needs more time training, then I will take your word for it. I expect a report on her performance. There shouldn't be anything too notorious tonight, considering I delivered Croc back to Arkham Asylum. This is Gotham though, so be prepared for anything. Jasmine, Alfred will give you your Batgirl suit soon. Now, are there any questions?" He asked, looking at each in turn.

"No." They said simultaneously.

Jasmine couldn't believe it. She had finally met Bruce's standards enough that he was allowing her to take up the mantle as Batgirl. It was the one thing she had been wanting and striving for the most ever since she had been accepted at Wayne Manor to train under Bruce. She didn't feel like she was riding on some kind of edge that if she made one mistake, then she would fail. Her last test to become Batgirl permanently was for Jason's approval in her performance tonight. There was no way Jasmine was going to fail it. She had gone through too much and worked way too hard to fail now. Excitement buzzed through her, and it was terribly hard to keep her serious face and not smile. However, she managed to hold it since she didn't want to seem unprofessional and give Bruce any kind of doubts about the choice he had made.

Bruce seemed to study them for a moment before nodding. He then turned his back to the two and began walking away, holding a phone up to his ear as Wayne Enterprises became his focus once more. As he exited the Batcave, Jasmine turned to Jason and threw her arms around his neck and buried her head into his chest. He staggered back only a step before his arms came around her as well and she felt him give a small laugh.

"Excited much?" He asked and she pulled slightly away so she could look up at him.

"More than excited. Jason I've finally been accepted. It's…amazing! I can't believe that it only took a month. I thought I would have had this training for a minimum of half a year." She burst out and he smiled at her.

"You were already advanced in fighting. There were just a few things he had to tweak and teach." He pointed out to her.

"That's not entirely true. Sure, I knew how to fight, but I had to relearn everything. I learned how to fight to kill. The first week had been hard, but he didn't give up on me. That's what allowed me to be able to succeed." She said before giving a wide smile and a delighted laugh. She rested her cheek against Jason's chest and closed her eyes.

"I'm glad that my first time going out is with you, Jason." She said quietly.

Jason didn't respond right away, but she felt him squeeze her gently to show he heard, "I am too. I'd probably worry about you if it wasn't." He eventually said.

Jasmine pulled away from him and gazed up with a small side smile, "Why worry? I'm not some damsel in distress you know," She spoke with a wink and he smiled slightly.

"Oh, I'd only worry because if you were with Dick, he would probably find the most dangerous way of doing things, and if you were with Bruce, he would purposely put you in hard positions to see if you could get out of them. You're much safer with me. I won't try to pull anything, and I'm not going to try and get you injured." He said, and Jasmine's eyes softened.

"Thanks, Jason." She said in a quiet voice, only for him to walk up to her. He kissed her forehead lightly before pushing his hands into his pockets.

"Get some rest. We have a long night ahead of us." He said to her before walking past and to the elevator, probably to sleep as well.

Jasmine watched him go with a light smile. It wasn't abnormal for him to kiss her forehead. He's done it other times before as well. She assumed it was a regular thing for males to do to their female friends. Why else would he do it? Though, Dick never did anything like that. She figured it was simply just a personal preference, if anything, since she had quickly learned that people expressed their feelings in different ways. No one was the same, which was what made meeting new people so interesting.

Despite what Jason said, Jasmine still wanted to train. She had to be on her A game during the night, and while she was excited beyond belief, she was also nervous. If she messed up, then it was back to square one, and she would have to step down as Batgirl to train once again. She definitely didn't want that to happen. Though she didn't intend to train for very long, and wasn't planning on tiring herself out either. It was just going to be a quick overview of the basic skills that she was going to need out in Gotham. She got out a punching bag and wrapped her hands before starting to throw different punches and kicks that she knew previously and also that Bruce taught her. She was starting to work up a small sweat when someone rested their hands on her shoulders. Immediately, she twisted around, swinging her left leg, only for it to be caught by the person, and then twisted slightly so she lost her balance and hit the ground. Jasmine gritted her teeth then rolled onto her back, about to get to her feet when she saw who it was.

"Nice kick, though it wasn't exactly fast enough to hit me." Dick smirked, looking down at her and she scowled at him.

"You shouldn't have snuck up on me like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack." She huffed, getting to her feet and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I was only trying to help. You're putting too much energy into your upper body when you punch." He said, and she looked at him quizzically, which made him raise his hands innocently, "It's not a joke, I promise. Get into your fighting stance."

Jasmine studied him for a moment before sighing, deciding that he wasn't trying to tease her. She turned her back to him and faced the punching back then raised her fists and shifted her feet into a ready position. "Happy?"

"Very." He said with a small smirk before becoming serious, "It wasn't that your punches weren't strong. Actually, your form was pretty good, but I'm about to show you the ideal way to punch, which will make your attack a lot stronger," Dick began, walking up to her. He rested his hand on her lower back and lightly pushed, which made her straighten up a bit more, though she was all too aware of his touch. She found this odd though she didn't say anything about it.

"When you punch, draw it more from your core," He spoke then trailed her hand up her back and rested it between her shoulder blades, "not your upper body. While you need to pull your arms back, the force and power from you punch is going to come from here," He said, moving his hand down to her stomach lightly. For some reason, Jasmine felt her pulse quicken and her cheeks begin to burn faintly. Swallowing, she pushed his hand away.

"Th-Thanks, but I really should be getting some rest." She said quickly then began to walk away, taking strides as big as her legs allowed her to. However, due to her short height compared to Dick's, her long strides didn't even come close to letting her make an efficient escape. Instead she felt him catch her wrist and stop her.

"Jazz, it's only one in the afternoon." Dick said to her, pulling her to him slightly.

"Yes, I'm well aware. Now if you would excuse me." Jasmine responded, pulling her hand from his and walking back towards the elevator that led back up to the manor. It wasn't that she was running from Dick because she was insulted by his instruction or anything. She was running from the swirl of confusing emotions she felt when he had been teaching her. She wanted to evaluate them and try to figure out what they meant. They were definitely something she had never felt previously, and Jasmine had no idea what they meant. It was rather scary for her to feel such unknown things.

While Jasmine wanted to run from Dick and the emotions that connected to him, he wasn't about to let that happen anytime soon. Instead of stopping her, he slipped inside the elevator beside her, "I'm sorry if I insulted you. That wasn't my intention." He said to her seriously and Jasmine glanced over. His gray-blue eyes were set in a serious and solemn manner and he seemed genuinely worried. She let out a sigh before shaking her head.

"You didn't insult me."

"Then what did I do?"

"Nothing."

"Jasmine," Dick said in exasperation, running his hand through his hair before standing right in front of her. Jasmine felt that odd rush once more, and she swallowed hard. Thankfully, the elevator opened and she quickly turned away and strode out just as he began to reach for her. Of course, he followed right at her heels.

"Stop following me, Dick." Jasmine said, only for him to dart forwards and stand in front of her, making her stop in her tracks so she wouldn't crash into him.

"Not until you tell me why you're running away from me." He said sternly.

Jasmine felt frustration rise up in her. For some reason, she didn't want to tell him about these weird emotions she felt around him. Having someone know something about her before she did was just pathetic in her mind. So she would figure it out alone, "I don't have to tell you everything about me! I told you that you didn't do anything wrong. Now please step aside so I can go rest in my room." She snapped at him and he narrowed his eyes.

"Like I said earlier. It's one in the afternoon. Knowing you, you're usually up doing something at this hour," He said with a frown and crossed his arms over his chest. Jasmine remained quiet and he sighed, "Fine." He muttered, starting to stalk past her.

Before she really thought much about it, Jasmine caught his hand and he paused, "I'm sorry. Bruce has given me the mantle as Batgirl. I'm going out tonight with Jason. It's just…I'm really nervous because if I mess up, then it's back to training. My performance in the field tonight will decide if I am Batgirl permanently or if I'm not good enough just yet." She said quietly. While it wasn't the exact reason, it was a part of it. She _was_ nervous for tonight. That wasn't a lie.

"Jazz, why were you so secretive about this? This is great!" Dick said, spinning on his heels and rested his hands on her shoulders. His excited and delighted smile was contagious, and Jasmine couldn't help but smile back, "Don't worry about messing up. I helped train you, so there's no way you'll fail," He added with a wink and she couldn't help but give a small laugh.

"Yeah, you're the _only_ reason my skills are as advanced as they are." She said sarcastically and he smirked.

"Obviously. But really, Jazz. Don't worry. You're ready for this. I've seen you fight and train with Bruce. If I didn't think you were capable, then I would have stormed off this minute to go speak with Bruce." He said and she smiled.

"That's risky."

"I know. Imagine how pissed he would be when his meeting was disrupted by me." He chuckled and she shook her head at him in amusement.

"I don't want to." She said and he gave a small laugh before meeting her eyes with his.

Jasmine looked into his eyes for a moment before smiling timidly and shifted her eyes down, feeling that shyness under his gaze. However, as she did, she felt his arm wind around her waist. A soft gasp of surprise escaped her as he pulled her against his chest, and she felt that heat start in her cheeks again. His other hand rested on her cheek and gently tilted her face up so her eyes met his. His eyes were soft, and in that moment, reminded her of the light blue of the sky. Her heart was racing and she felt almost speechless. However, instead of running away from this like before, she seemed captured in the moment of it.

"Congratulations, Jasmine." Dick spoke in a low, soft tone. Jasmine parted her lips slightly, trying to think of something to say, but the words didn't come to mind. He gave her a light smile before letting his hand fall from her cheek and removed his hand from her back. As he released her, she felt herself starting to calm down once more and she took a deep breath before smiling at him despite feeling shaken at what just happened.

"Thanks, Dick. I'll see you tomorrow then." She said and he nodded.

"Sleep well."

Jasmine nodded then turned her back to him and started walking down the hallway towards her room once more, letting her carefully set up composure fall. What had just happened? Once again, those emotions came back to haunt her. * _Why is it that they only appear with Dick? I don't get that way around Jason or anyone else? What is it supposed to mean?*_ She thought to herself. Giving a soft sigh, she wondered if Dick felt that same way around her. It didn't seem like he did, but then again, maybe he was use to the emotions. She hadn't really had much of a social life, so Jasmine supposed that it could be entirely likely that it was some common kind of feeling to have. Still, it made her curious.

Jasmine glanced over her shoulder slightly, seeing Dick still there. Usually he would have just walked off. He was leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. His face was unreadable, and he seemed to be deep in thought about something. She longed to know what he was thinking about, but instead of going back, she turned the corner to go down the hallway her room was at.

She really needed to get to rest and get her mind set back on tonight. Her focus couldn't be altered now. As soon as she entered her room, Jasmine noticed the yellow and black Batgirl suit resting neatly on her bed. With a smile, she walked over and stood before it, reaching out and lightly touched the mask. This was her road to redemption. Finally, she would become what she wished to be. A warrior that protected the innocent and fought against the dark. Like Dick had said, there was just no way she would fail tonight. It simply just wasn't an option.

oOo

"Five common criminals already caught within two hours. This is going to be a rather long night."

Jasmine looked over at Jason, who was gazing across the city from the rooftop with his arms crossed over his chest. On her first night, it has gone rather well. In Gotham, there never seemed to be a shortage of criminals. If someone just walks down an alleyway, there was sure to be at least something illegal going on. All the opponents were easy to take care of. In fact, she hadn't even had to take out her whips. Really, the only tricky part was delivering them to the GCPD, but since Commissioner Gordon was on their side, it wasn't all that complicated. Despite this, she was still thrilled to be out, and by the looks of it, her performance was going well.

"Maybe it will be, but it's also been a rather successful night, don't you think?" She spoke, walking up until she stood beside him. Their capes bellowed back behind them slightly as they both looked across the city.

"So far. I'm wondering if one of the big boys are going to poke their head out tonight. It isn't like them to be cautious." He said and she couldn't get but smile slightly.

"They must have heard I'm in town." She said smoothly and he smirked.

"Right."

Abrupt sounds of gunfire suddenly rang out and immediately the two began to jump from rooftop to rooftop towards it. The gunfire didn't really last all that long, but Jasmine and Jason were swift. Batgirl could already feel her adrenaline coursing through her. As she glanced down from the run down building she was on top of. A van was parked in front of a warehouse that had a garage door open, which seemed to be where the screams had come from. A man was slumped against a wooden crate, telling her that he had been about to load it into the van before he was shot. The muffled sound of voices carried from the warehouse. Shifting her gaze over at Jason, he gave a small nod and the two quietly made their way to the roof of the warehouse. There, they opened a small hatch and peered down into the warehouse. Five men in black masks were standing by some of those large wooden crates with guns in their hands. Clearly, they had been the shooters. Three dead bodies were lying on the ground near the crates.

"Penguin better think twice before messing with the boss again." The one in the middle of the group said gruffly. It seemed as though he was the leader of the small group. So they were only henchmen to someone else.

"False Face Society." Jasonn muttered under his breath and Jasmine narrowed her eyes as she watched as the head man opened a crate and laughed.

"The fat bird sure got plenty of guns for us." He snickered, pulling one out and the other men laughed.

"Wait here unless I give you a signal." Jason instructed Jasmine quietly, causing her to sigh but reluctantly obey. She watched as he waited till the five men had their backs turned to the roof hatch before he dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch silently before getting up and disappearing into the shadows just as they turned around.

"You hear something?" One of the men said nervously, raising his gun and feverishly starting to look around.

"You're just paranoid. Keep loading the guns into the van." The leader snapped, though another henchman seemed to become nervous as well.

"But what if it's the Bat?" He spoke and the leader smirked and raised the automatic gun he had taken from the crate.

"Then we are well armed," He snickered, then raised his gun towards the spot Robin had gone to, "aren't we, Robin?"

Jasmine gritted her teeth and clenched her hands onto fists but stayed where she was for now. Immediately, Jason burst into action. A batarang flew from the spot the lead henchman had aimed the gun at, making the criminal stumble to the side so it missed. Jason didn't waste any time surging forward. The others raised their guns, but two exploded as batarangs embedded into them. The others let loose a string of bullets, which missed Jason as he somersaulted to the side of the van where the bullets couldn't reach him. He then quickly attacked the head henchman, who had finally regained his balance. At Jason's advances, the man took wary steps back, just able to block the kicks and punches. The two henchmen with working guns raised theirs once more, and the two who had lost their previous ones just took some from the previously opened crate. Sensing this, Jason quickly spun behind the head henchman, grabbing the criminal's arm and twisting it behind the man, who gave a cry of pain as he did.

"Don't fire!" The head criminal said and the men slowly lowered their guns.

"Why do you want these guns?" Jason asked sharply and the man smirked a little.

"As if I would answer to the likes of you, bird boy." He said in a snarky tone, only to groan as Jason pulled his already twisted arm.

"I'm coming close to dislocating your shoulder. Now answer me or-" He began in a cold voice, only to then give a small cry out. Jasmine leaned forward in concern as Jason suddenly staggered back, letting go of the henchman's arm as he did. She quickly scanned Jason, but didn't see any blood. Her eyes then locked on the man, who was holding a syringe.

"You really think we would have come here unprepared for an attack from you or Batman? You're a foolish boy." The man smirked, stalking towards Jason. Jasmine immediately put her hands to her whips and braced herself to jump down. Jason stood, but was terribly unsteady on his feet. The henchman simply punched Jason, who fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but was then kicked in the stomach, which sent him on his back with a cough, "Now," The criminal began, bending down and grabbed Jason's hair to pull him up a bit, "tell me. Who is Batman, and where is he? My boss would _love_ to know."

"Where is he? Oh…here and there. It isn't him you should be worried about though." Jason said, giving a slow smile. The man scowled then let Jason go, which made his upper body hit the ground. * _Took you long enough to give your damn signal, Jason_.* Jasmine thought to herself, pulling out her batarangs.

"Well, there's only two of you, and you aren't very threatening at the moment. I think your time is up, bird boy, and it really is about time Bats received a proper message from the False Face Society." He smirked, levelling the gun with Jason's head.

Just as the gun was set into position, Jasmine threw a batarang and the lead henchman cried out and dropped the gun as it embedded into his hand. Then she threw the others at the lights in the warehouse. They shattered, plunging the warehouse into darkness except for a few that remained flickering here and there. Drawing her whips, she jumped down and landed in a crouch but slipped to the sides as a light flickered. She studied the men, who were all gazing around them feverishly. It seemed the task of killing Jason wasn't the priority at the moment.

"Come out, Batman! We know you're here!" The leader shouted, sending a spray of bullets randomly across the warehouse. Thankfully, none of them came close to Jasmine, who had made her way over to the van by the four other henchmen.

After a small moment of silence, she struck. One of her whips lashed out and wrapped around one of the henchmen's wrist. He cried out in fear as she pulled him towards her, only to smash her elbow into his temple, making him crumple to the ground. She quickly slipped back into the shadows as the lights flickered once again. She then tossed a batarang over in a corner. The small clang caught the attention of the now four men, and they all raised their guns, only for the flickering to stop once more. Taking advantage of this, she snagged another henchman and dragged him to her, quickly silencing him. The sound of his unconscious body and gun hitting the ground made the three men whirl back around, but she was already long gone and in another part of the warehouse by that point.

"We're being picked off one by one! This is no man…he's just a shadow!" One of the henchmen cried out. Jasmine heard the sound of a gun clattering to the floor and she smiled.

"Don't be ridiculous! He's just-" The leader began only, for two screams by the men to echo out as Jasmine used both her whips to bring them to her. She easily took them out and retreated back just as the lights flickered. At this point, the leader's hands were shaking and he kept whirling around at every small sound. During all of this Jason had backed away and supported his back against the wall, watching it all unfold with a small smile.

"You coward! Are you scared to face me one on one?! Come out and fight like a man!" The leader shouted. Then, the lights went off once more. Jasmine stalked forwards silently then lashed a whip out. It hit the leader's leg and he cried out. Almost immediately after, she lashed his back, and then his arm, and chest in quick succession. Just as the lights began to flicker, she slunk right behind him.

"I'm not a man." Jasmine said lowly as the lights came on then smashed her elbow against the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground and she coiled her whips before walking over to Jasom.

"You took way too long signaling me to jump in." She scolded him, bending down in front of him.

"I'm alive and they are unconscious, so it all worked out anyways." He chuckled lightly. The faint sound of sirens echoed and she rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see them.

"They always arrive right after the action takes place. Are you well enough to get out of here?" She asked.

"Of course I am." He huffed, slowly standing on his feet. He swayed a little at first before grabbing his Batclaw. Jasmine looked at him in concern before snatching it from his hands.

"Batgirl! Give it back." He snapped and she shook her head.

"It's better if I directed it." She said firmly then shot it and quickly handed it to him, which he thankfully took. She watched as he made it to the hatch at the top then aimed her own, only to hear footsteps.

"GCPD! Come out with your hands up!" Some police officer shouted. Curiosity filled her for a moment, though she pushed it back and quickly shot the Batclaw. She flew up to the hatch and climbed through right as the police officers ran in.

"Took you long enough." Jason grumbled and she smirked slightly.

"I'm here, aren't I? Let's go before we get caught." She said and he shrugged before shooting the Batclaw. It latched onto the roof of a higher building and Jasmine followed, though she was still worried about Jason. Whatever had been injected seemed to have been a sedative.

"How about we take my motorcycle back?" She offered and he shook his head.

"I can drive."

"No. I'm not letting you drive, Robin. You were sedated, and therefore it is unsafe for you to be driving."

Jason looked to her with a scowl before crossing his arms over his chest, "Yeah, fine." He growled.

Sighing, Jasminee moved her hand to her waist and pulled a small device from her yellow utility belt. She pressed a small button, which would call the motorcycle like vehicle to them. She then returned it back in its spot. They were silent as they waited, and she couldn't help but look over as she saw the sun beginning to rise, turning the sky a navy color. Was it already really dawn? The night seemed to have passed by so quickly. The whole experience had been so incredibly thrilling, and it gave her a light feeling in her chest. This must have been what Risuka had eventually wanted Jasmine to do with the skills she had taught her for so many years. In Japan, she had spoken of a group of people that acted for the good of the innocent. She said they had been like a family to her, and would accept the two of them back. There, she said that her training would be completed. Of course, they never made it to Japan for any of this to happen.

* _If only you could see me now, Risuka, working with Batman, Robin and Nightwing._ * She thought to herself with a warm smile slowly coming over her. As she did, Jason's black gloved hand lightly touched her cheek and she looked over at him in surprise.

"You're smiling," He began in an almost distant voice, slowly running his thumb over her bottom lip, "Why is that?"

"I…I was just thinking of something is all." She said quietly, then studied him. He seemed really…out of it. She swept her eyes over him for a moment, noticing how he was swaying on his feet. Before she could comment on it, a slow smile came over him.

"Thinking. What were you thinking of?" He asked before he began to fall forwards.

"Ja-Robin!" Jasmine exclaimed in concern, quickly catching him before he completely fell. She slowly lowered him down to the ground of the roof they were on. He leaned heavily against her before slightly pulling away and looking at her.

"Me?" He mumbled and she shook her head.

"Robin. You aren't thinking clearly. Whatever was injected into you is really starting to affect you."

"Maybe…you did really great tonight, Jazz," He murmured, his words slightly beginning to slur together. The sounds of rumbling caught Jasmine's attention and she slung his arm over her shoulders and hoisted him up.

"Thanks." She said softly with a smile towards him as she began helping him over to the side of the roof. He walked, but he continued to lean on her, and didn't offer too much help. She looked down at the motorcycle then at Jason. She wasn't strong enough to carry him down from the roof.

"Need a little help?"

Jasmine looked over her shoulder and smiled in relief as her eyes rested on Dick, "That would be appreciated."

He smirked at what she said and bent down beside Jasmine, studying Jason, who was almost completely unconscious at this point, "What happened to Robin?" He asked, tilting his head over to look at her.

"We were at a warehouse that some group Robin called the False Face Society had broken into. During the fight, he was injected with what I believe to be a sedative. It didn't seem to affect him much at first, but now it has really kicked in." Jasmine responded and he frowned.

"The False Face Society? Batman and I took them down back when I was Robin. Interesting to hear that they have returned." Nightwing sighed before picking up Jason and straightening up. Jasmine rose to her feet as well.

"You go ahead and head home. I'll meet you there." He said and she gave a nod before jumping down from the roof and in front of her motorcycle. Hopping on the back, she revved the engine a bit at first before taking off at full speed to the Batcave.

 **This chapter was really long compared to the other, and the next one will most likely not go to this length. This chapter was to give you, the readers, a basic idea of how things are after the month along with a lot of recollection of what happened over the skipped weeks. Anyways, thanks for reading Light and Dark! I hope to give my next installment soon! Thanks for reading.**

 **-Bookreader777**


	9. Chapter 9

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 9

"You're down rather early, Master Dick."

Dick Grayson looked over at Alfred as he came down the stairs. It was about eight in the morning, and typically after a long night of crime fighting, the house slept in rather late. Of course, this sometimes excluded Bruce since he was the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, "I have to keep you on your toes, Alfred." He teased the butler lightly.

"Indeed you do, sir, though not as much as the young lady. She was down here about an hour ago." He said and Dick looked over in surprise.

"An hour ago?"

"Yes, sir."

"Where is she now?" Dick asked and Alfred gave a small smile.

"I believe she made her way down to the cave."

This revelation wasn't much of a surprise. During her stay, Jasmine was typically in only three places: the Batcave, the library or outside. Giving a nod of thanks to Alfred, Dick made his way towards the study where the entrance down to the cave was. Jasmine never struck him as much of an early riser, especially since he and Jason were usually down before her on most mornings. The fact that she not only beat the two of them, but also came down at seven in the morning was enough to make him wonder why, though perhaps she was actually used to getting up at these hours. Thinking of her at the moment made him think to last night.

The night before had been rather interesting. It hadn't been entirely exciting, though there had finally been a criminal worth using fighting techniques on. The thing that had made the night interesting was running into Jasmine and Jason on the roof of that building. Well, it was more like tracking them there. Dick had finished up in Bludhaven and, as he has been doing the past month, had been on his way back to Wayne Manor. However, he knew that it had been Jasmine's first night out as Batgirl, so he had activated the trackers in their suits to look up their position. When they had simply been staying in one location instead of moving, he became concerned, which was the primary reason for why he had turned up when he did. Thankfully, they had been alright despite the fact that Jason had been injected with a sedative.

When Dick had returned, Jasmine had already been there and waiting. Jason had been completely knocked out during the ride there. He had felt bad for him, since getting caught by a sedative was really quite annoying, though it was a reason why they had to be careful when attacking. If there was anything he knew about Jason, it was that he wasn't always particularly careful in his movements. He went more for the direct attack kind of approach. While this did compromise how careful he was, the thing about Jason was that he was damn good at using this kind of technique. Almost too good. Bruce has yelled at him before for beating up criminals past what they needed to be. The excuse Jason gave was that they deserved what they received. When this happened, the two were usually on bad terms for a small while before it was pushed aside. Dick remembered Bruce speaking to him about Jason once, saying that he was concerned in how he executed things since he would go too far in certain instances. It wasn't too hard to share his concern, though Dick wasn't too worried. He trusted Jason and he knew that he would never hurt someone enough to kill them. It wasn't like he was done with his training just yet anyways, so it could be fixed, much like how Jasmine's killing skills had been converted to a more nonfatal replacement.

After returning to the cave, Dick and Jasmine had spoken as they returned Jason to his room. The conversation had been more formal and serious than anything, and she just gave him more details of her night and what happened. Even though they spoke solemnly, he couldn't help but to have noticed an almost joyous undertone to her voice. From the sound of what she said, she had done an excellent job teaming up with Jason, which meant that going out on nights would be a regular occurrence for her. He had walked her to her room and they parted ways for the night.

As the elevator made it down, Dick stepped out and shifted his eyes immediately over to the training part of the cave, since that was usually where she was at. However, it remained empty. Scanning the surroundings, he finally spotted the girl, who was sitting at the batcomputer. She seemed to be extremely focused on whatever she was looking up while she ate an apple. Seeing her made Dick think back to the previous day when she had run away from him when he saw helping her in training. The timid yet fierce way she had acted towards him had been startling, concerning even. In the end, he supposed she simply had different ways of expressing nervousness, though there was a small voice of doubt that told him there had been much more to it.

Now, the whole situation really wouldn't have been a huge deal except for the fact that Dick was still pondering over how _he_ had reacted. Reacted, as in the way he pulled her to him. At the moment, it had seemed right and natural. In fact, he didn't even think before he acted. However, when he pulled away and she turned to leave, he realized that what he did wasn't exactly how a friend congratulates another. His thoughts spun around the moment so often that he could recall every detail of it. He has analyzed the situation, her responses and his and yet he was utterly lost in the whole ordeal. It made him think back to what Jason said a month ago about how he needed to leave Jasmine alone, which was also another mystery Dick hasn't figured out. When he had asked Jason about it, the other boy simply shrugged it off and said it had simply been an exhausted and annoyed rambling.

Dick then realized that he had been simply standing there in his thoughts and shook his head to clear his mind before walking over to Jasmine. At the sound of his echoing footsteps, he saw her glance over before returning her gaze to the screen, "Good morning."

"Morning," Dick said in response, coming to a stop beside the chair she was sitting in, "I heard that you were up early." He commented, looking down at her and she shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep," She said softly and he gave a small frown then looked to the screen.

"The False Face Society?" He murmured, resting his hands on the small desk and leaning forward as he scanned over the contents of the screen.

"That's the group Jason and I took down last night, but here it says that it was disbanded after the former leader, Black Mask, died," She spoke up then sighed, "So that raises the question of who their leader is now."

"I see. So this is what kept you up?" He asked, looking at her and she nodded.

"Yeah. I'm trying to find any clues concerning this group rising up again, but it seems that some random person just…stepped forward." She says in aggravation before taking a bite of her apple.

"You'll have more luck getting information from the streets on this present gang than looking into the past. I'd focus on interrogating drug dealers and druggies tonight. If I remember correctly, that was something the False Face Society specialized in." He said to her.

"Thanks, Dick." She breathed, scanning over the contents of the screen one last time before she exited out of it and shut it down before standing and turning to him with a smile, "Was there something you needed?"

"No problem." He had responded before trailing his eyes on her as she stood up and turned to him, "Not exactly. I just happened to wake up a bit early today and Alfred said you were down here. Since you tend to sleep in rather late, I was curious as to why you were up at seven." He explained and she smirked.

"I should have known that it had to do with your curiosity," She commented before becoming serious, "Have you seen Jason yet this morning?"

Dick was silent for a moment as she asked this, noticing the concern and worry in her eyes. There was almost a small spark of guilt in them, which made him wonder why exactly she should feel guilty, "No, not yet. He'll probably sleep pretty late considering he had been put under by a sedative. He's fine though. You have this guilty look to you. Why is that?" He asked and she looked down for a moment before meeting his eyes.

"I probably could have prevented him from getting injected with that sedative. He told me to wait, but even when he was attacking I had a feeling it wouldn't have ended well. I should have reacted sooner." She explained and he shook his head, gently placing his hand on her shoulder in a comforting way.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Jasmine. You followed the orders given to you. Besides, you ended up saving the day by taking all of them out with your smart thinking. You should be proud of yourself." He told her gently and she smiled.

"Thanks. Oh, how were things in Bludhaven?" She asked then with interest and he just shrugged.

"Pretty average. An actual threatening criminal finally showed up, but he wasn't very challenging to take down." He said casually and she studied him for a moment.

"There's something I've noticed. Whenever I ask about Bludhaven, you seem to get closed off about it and act as though it isn't a huge deal. Why is that?" Jasmmine asked and Dick blinked before looking to her. Did he really do that?

"Well…I suppose I'm just not as interested in talking about myself. Once you get the whole "I fight crime" thing then it is pretty repetitive after that. I guess I'm just used to my life as a crime fighter, so my nightly activities aren't as spontaneous to explain," He mused before giving her a slow smile, "Don't worry. If anything interesting actually comes up, you'll be one of the first to know."

Jasmine smiled brightly at this before crossing her arms over her chest and giving a smug look, "I'd be disappointed if I wasn't one of the first people to hear about your amazing exploits."

He gave a small laugh and slowly walked closer to her, "And why is that, Jazz?" He noticed her eyes trailing him as he approached before she gave a wide, arrogant smile.

"Because I'm clearly one of your favorite people." She said haughtily, though she had a teasing tone to her voice. Despite this, he played along and raised his eyebrows in question.

"Oh? What if I said that you weren't?" He challenged and she smirked and closed the small distance between them and tilted her head up so she could gaze into his eyes.

"You wouldn't say that, because you aren't a very good liar unless the lie is absolutely necessary." She said lowly and he gave a slow smile.

"Sorry to pull away from the subject, but do you remember the question you asked me yesterday before Jason interrupted?" He asked. Jasmine shifted her weight on her right foot and crossed her arms in thought for a moment before nodding.

"About why you didn't just stay in Bludhaven, right?"

"Yeah. Do you still want that answer?"

"Of course I do."

Dick paused for a moment before speaking up, "I stayed because I wanted to be sure that you would settle in fine here. I knew that you were comfortable around me, at least, more so than Jason, Bruce or Alfred at the time, so I stayed just in case you ever needed anything." He explained. At first he noticed an almost happy look to her, which suddenly turned to a frown and she looked down.

"Now that I've been accepted as Batgirl…does this mean you will be returning?" She asked in a quiet voice.

This hadn't even occurred to Dick. Now that she said it though, it made sense as to why he should return to Bludhaven. It was evident that she had settled in. She and Jason were good friends, and she was comfortable around Bruce and Alfred. Not only that, but she was now Batgirl and officially accepted among them. His purpose for staying in Gotham instead of Bludhaven was irrelevant at this point. He knew from the beginning that he wouldn't be staying, so why did he feel so unhappy about the thought of leaving? Whether he didn't want to go for some reason or not, he had to. Bludhaven was his responsibility now.

"Yes. I will be," Dick eventually spoke up, trying to read Jasmine. However, her face closed off, becoming unreadable, and she looked to the side.

"Of course. That was a rather stupid question wasn't it?" She murmured. Dick frowned at this and shook his head.

"It wasn't a stupid question."

"Yes, it was. The answer was obvious, and I could have answered it myself." She responded thinly.

"You're upset. Why? I'll be back you know." He said to her after a small pause. He watched her clench her jaw then start to brush by him but he caught her arm.

"Jasmine, please tell me. Why are you upset? You still have Jason, Bruce and Alfred here with you, and this isn't going to be the last time you see me." He said calmly, levelling his gaze on her. Jasmine looked over her shoulder at him and he was startled by the look of confusion in her eyes along with frustration and an almost sad light to it as well.

"You want to know why I'm upset?" She whispered before running her fingers through her hair for a moment before shaking her head and giving a humorless laugh, "Here's a secret. I have no idea either. I'm a maze, Dick. There are things that are so foreign to me. Even some simple things astound me, and of these simple things include emotions. I never knew that I haven't experienced so many different kinds of emotions until I came here. So if you could tell me the reasons behind what I'm feeling, it would be much appreciated." She said with a sad looking smile.

Dick gazed down at her and gently rested his hand on her cheek as he met her eyes, "I can't tell you how you feel, Jasmine. That's up to you. Not only that, but you are one of the few people who I am unable to read. It usually comes so easy to me…but not with you." He murmured to her, watching as she raised her hand and placed it over his then closed her eyes. He found that he couldn't tear his eyes away from her at the moment, only to look into her blue-green eyes as she slowly opened them.

"I'll miss you when you leave." She said in such a soft tone, it was almost inaudible.

"Jasmine-" He began, only to get cut off.

"Good morning Dick and Jasmine."

Jasmine seemed to snap out of it first and pulled back from Dick before turning around and breaking into a smile. As she ran to Jason, Dick studied the other boy. He had quite the habit of cutting him off when he was speaking to Jazz. That wasn't exactly why he was bothered though. What bothered him was the look Jason was giving him. It wasn't particularly friendly. More so intense and guarded than anything. However, as Jasmine approached, he looked to her and smiled warmly before wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him. Then, everything clicked into place.

Jason had feelings for Jasmine. All that talk about Dick not hurting her had all been a little devised plan. All along, he has been attracted to her. That could be seen by the way his eyes softened when he looked to her and the smile he gave when he hugged her. It had never been about what was best for Jasmine, but rather what he wanted. Jason was scared Dick would take her from him. For some reason, anger started to rise in Dick. It wasn't only directed at Jason, but also at himself. How could he have been so blind to see this? He and Jason were like brothers, and yet this not only went unnoticed, but Jason had said nothing to him. Even when Dick had asked, there had been no response to it. Just a small shrug and little answer. Seeing the two hug made a bitter feeling swell in him and he walked down.

"Great to see you have awoken. I'm going out." He said a lot sharper than he had intended as he began to walk past the two.

"Where to?" He heard Jasmine say and he paused midstep and glanced over his shoulder slightly. She was peering over Jason's shoulder at him with an almost concerned gaze. As for Jason, he also was looking at him with carefully guarded eyes, though Dick knew him much too well. He wanted to be alone with Jasmine.

"Away from here." He answered before continuing on his way.

Dick shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled quickly from the Batcave and to the elevator. He rode the elevator back up to the manor. He stepped out and went to his room. As he came to it, his eyes swept around and he quickly grabbed a duffel bag and began packing the belongings he had taken from Bludhaven. It was about time he returned. Besides, Jason made it rather apparent at this point that he wasn't welcome around Jasmine.

* _As if he gets to say who goes near her or not._ * He thought to himself bitterly as he shoved some clothes in the duffel bag. It didn't take long to finish packing and he lied down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling silently.

Now that he really considered it, shouldn't he be _supportive_ of Jason and Jasmine? They really wouldn't be that bad together, and they were the same age. From their interactions, they had a rather good friendship at the moment. Not only that, but didn't Jason deserve to have someone who makes him happy? Heaven knows Dick has been with plenty of girls, but Jason hasn't. He's devoted his time and focus to being Robin and the adopted son of Bruce Wayne all these years. Despite all this, Dick still found that the thought of them together put a bad feeling in his chest.

* _Am I jealous?_ * He thought to himself with a deep frown. * _Surely not. It isn't like I think of Jasmine like he does. If I am jealous, it probably has to do with the fact I won't be able to spend that much time around her._ *

The sound of a knock on the door caught Dick's attention and he glanced to it before letting out a sigh. He slowly pulled himself up and walked to the door and opened it, only to see Jasmine standing there. Before he could much of say anything, she pushed past him into his room and turned to face him with her arms crossed over her chest. She blue-green eyes were stern as they looked to him and she had that fierce determination about her that she got whenever she was focused on something, and it just so happened that something was him at the moment.

"Alright. What's wrong, Dick? Clearly you're mad about something so you might as well tell me now," She said strictly and he couldn't help but give a small smile. It seems the tables have turned on their positions.

" _Was_ mad about something. I've actually figured it out now, so don't worry about it, Jazz. However, perhaps Alfred should teach you a thing or two about entering someone's room. Typically you wait until you are invited to enter." He said with a small smirk and she shook her head and walked up to him.

"You hound me for hours about what bothers me, but when I ask, you keep it secret. That's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?" She said evenly, "Oh, and I know how to enter someone's room properly, I'll have you know." She sniffed.

Dick chuckled lightly, "It would be if I was actually still bothered by it, which I'm not. You're a few minutes too late." He spoke to her before smiling mockingly, "Then why didn't you?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes at what he said only to smirk at his question, "Because it's you. I don't count you as 'someone.' You're Dick Grayson. If I wanted to be formal and polite around you, I would be." She said matter-of-factly before brushing by him and to his door. She turned around to face him once more, only to settle her eyes on the duffel bag behind him.

"Are you leaving tonight?"

Dick watched Jasmine fondly as she spoke then walked to the door, only to see the way her energetic mood had seemed to disappear at the sight of the duffel bag, "That would be the logical thing to do." He answered and she peered at him.

"You didn't really answer my question."

"Don't you have something to do other than be around me? You have Jason, remember? You were rather excited to see him." Dick said with a frown. It would be easier if she would be with Jason than be around him. She was silent for a moment, and Dick saw that change in her again. She went from that arrogant personality to the somber and serious one.

"Yeah. I was excited to see Jason. He was sedated the last time I spoke with him, and I was worried for his health. That doesn't mean I don't ever want to be around you, Dick, and if you're leaving tonight, then I want to be around you as much as I can because I don't know the next time I'll get to see you."

Dick sighed quietly and walked up to her. He gently took her arm and led her out to the hallway before stepping back in his room, "I understand that, Jasmine. Staying around me more will only make you miserable when I leave. It's better if you were with Jason." He told her, and even as he said the words, a kind of sadness rose in him.

Dick averted his eyes from her and looked to the side before he began to close the door. However, it was caught and he looked forwards, seeing Jasmine had pushed her foot in between before he could close it. Sighing, he opened the door and met Jasmine's eyes. They were unreadable, and once again, he couldn't decipher what she was thinking. She was still a mystery to him. He watched as she slowly stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He blinked slowly, about to say her name when she leaned forward and lightly kissed his cheek. He froze in place, barely breathing because at that moment, he didn't want her to pull away.

"Just in case I don't see you soon." She murmured. Dick felt her lips move faintly against his cheek as she spoke. She slowly pulled away and met his eyes for a moment before giving a small smile and walking away.

Dick stared after her as she walked away. He wanted to say something, and usually, he was good at finding things to say. However, at this moment, he couldn't find the words. He simply looked after her until she disappeared around a corner. Raising his hand, he lightly touched his cheek with his fingertips before letting out a breath he had been holding. He quietly closed the door to his room then stepped back, letting his back hit the wall and he leaned against it.

Dick had not expected that to happen. At all, actually. It wasn't too big of a deal. It was just a kiss on the cheek, and yet, he still felt a small swell of happiness in him. He was a lot fonder of her than he had previously thought. He knew that he was going to worry about her when he was in Bludhaven. However, there really wasn't all that much he could do. Besides, he had no doubt that she could take care of herself. She was a tough girl. For once though, Dick didn't try to elaborate further on what he felt for Jasmine. He was just protective and fond of her. That was it.

A knock sounded at the door and Dick sighed. Since he was still by the door, he simply took one step towards it and opened it. Jason stood there with his hands shoved in his pockets. He met Dick's eyes and the two boys silently stood there for a moment. Dick knew he had been mad at Jason earlier, and honestly, he was still a bit aggravated.

"You're attracted to Jasmine, aren't you?"

Surprise seemed to filter through Jason at first until he calmly nodded, "Yeah. I am."

"This is why you asked me to stay away from her?"

"Yes."

Dick crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, "Here's the thing I have a problem with, Jason," He began, narrowing his eyes, "You told me to stay away from her because she couldn't give me what I want. However, I've never wanted anything from her, and if I have guessed what you meant correctly, then you want this very thing from her. So what was the purpose behind saying this to me?" He asked sharply and this time, Jason narrowed his eyes.

"That's the thing, Dick. You don't even know, which is rare in itself. For some reason, you can't see it, but I can," Jason said thinly.

"What can't I see, Jason? I get that I didn't see that you had feelings for Jasmine, but what else did I miss? Please enlighten me," He said coldly.

"You have feelings for her too, Dick!" Jason burst out angrily, "I've been able to see this for a while now! Sorry if I'm a little paranoid but every time you ever show interest in a woman, they _always_ go to you." He snapped, and Dick was silent for a moment before sighing quietly.

"I don't have feelings for Jasmine," He said firmly. Jason shook his head in disbelief.

"You tell yourself that, Dick." He muttered averting his eyes from him, "Just let me have a chance with her." He said quietly before walking away.

Dick remained quiet as Jason walked away, clearly frustrated. He wanted the two of them to end on good terms, but with both Jason and him aggravated, it wouldn't get too far as of now. He would speak with him before he left to go to Bludhaven. At what he had said about him liking Jasmine…he just couldn't see it. Of course he didn't have feelings for Jasmine. She was simply a friend…a good friend. Okay, maybe a great friend, but it wasn't like he really liked her…right? Dick sighed and closed the door rather forcefully before resting his forehead against the door for a moment before checking his watch. With a small yawn, he walked over to his bed and lied down on it. He might as well get some sleep. There weren't a lot of other things to do since he told Jasmine not to hang around him. He never truly realized how much of his time he spent with the woman.

* _No. No more analyzing things. I need to rest._ * Dick thought to himself, closing his eyes and drifting off into a troubled sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 10

Morning had quickly turned to afternoon, which soon converted to evening. A blanket of darkness and shadows had begun to hang over Gotham as the sun became just a small little sliver in the blackening sky. Jasmine looked outside a window on her way towards the Batcave. Already she was dressed in her Batgirl suit. Once the sun completely set, she, Jason and Bruce would set out to stop crime around their precious city. As for Dick, he had already left to go to Bludhaven. However, just moments before when she had entered her room, she found a key with a note saying, " _Just in case you ever stop by._ " Of course, Jasmine knew this had been from Dick, and hadn't been able to stop her smile. She had placed the key in a safe place before leaving her room to walk down to the Batcave. While her mind threatened to linger back on what had happened between the two of them earlier in the day, she quickly set her mind back on the task at hand. Crime fighting.

Taking the elevator down, Jasmine strolled as she reached the ground and towards the center of the raised platform where the two men were waiting. Like her, they were already transformed into their alter egos. As she approached, they turned to her and stopped their small discussion, which didn't bother Jasmine all that much, really. It was really quite evident that Jason and Bruce were extremely close. The way Jason looked to Bruce was identical to how a son would look at a father. At least, that was what Jasmine believed it would look like. While she didn't like to admit it, when she had been much younger, she _had_ looked up to her father when she saw him. So, that was at least one thing she understood. Admiration was something that was hard to hide, and it shone in Jason's eyes when he was with Bruce.

They seemed to have a different relationship than Dick had with Bruce. Unlike Dick, Jason and Bruce seemed to almost always be on good terms, unless Jason had beaten some criminal up too harshly. Bruce and Dick seemed to be shaky at times, however, with them it was evident there was equal respect between the two. That wasn't saying that there weren't certain moments where they had a kind of father and son interaction. It just wasn't as clear as Jason and Bruce's. It seemed to Jasmine that Dick and Bruce treated each other not only as family but also friends. Despite them not always seeing eye to eye, they never did get to a point where one completely abandons the other. She had no doubt that Dick would do just about anything for Bruce, and vice versa.

"You're late."

Jasmine looked to Bruce as he spoke and blinked for a moment before giving a small smile, "By a minute. I'm sure Gotham didn't go completely to hell in the one minute I wasn't here."

"You never know, Jasmine. Gotham is pretty unpredictable." Jason smirked lightly.

"If a city can be utterly devastated in a minute, I'll be impressed," Jasmine responded smoothly.

"It really isn't that hard to impress you though," Jason remarked and she huffed and placed her hands on her hips, getting ready to protest when Bruce spoke up.

"Enough. We need to leave. The two of you know the districts you'll be investigating, correct?" He asked gruffly, starting to walk towards the Batmobile.

"Yes." Jasmine and Jason answered at the same time. The two of them walked to their motorcycles. Jason's was red and black and Jasmine's was yellow and black, so it was easy to tell the two apart.

"Good. Contact me or Barbara if anything goes wrong."

"Bruce. We know," Jason sighed, swinging his leg over his motorcycle and placing his helmet on. Jasmine did the same but remained silent since Jason said what she had been thinking.

Bruce didn't respond, though the two knew he had heard it. Once he got into the Batmobile, he almost immediately took off. Jasmine and Jason weren't too far behind him. However, the three quickly branched off as they went to the districts they were looking after tonight. While Jasmine knew that she should be looking for any criminal, her main plan was to find information about the False Face Society. That meant looking for drug dealers or drug users then interrogating them, as Dick had advised her earlier.. If she got lucky, then she would be able to find both. So when given the choice, she had eagerly picked the East End of Gotham since it had a reputation concerning drugs. It just so happened that these districts were far from the steel mills, where her parents' bases were at. Despite them being locked up at the moment, the idea of returning there made her uneasy. Jason had taken that area, and Bruce had approved since Joker was contained…for now.

Stopping her motorcycle, Jasmine swung off then quickly glanced around her surroundings. The street was terribly rundown along with the houses on each side. The vegetation was overgrown and hardly taken care of if it was at all. That wasn't what had stopped her though. It was the small murmuring sound of voices. Remaining silent, Jasmine slipped off towards the voices as she stuck to the shadows. She maneuvered through a few small alleyways before coming to a stop where a small abandoned sandlot was. At the spot where home plate would be stood four men. Creeping forwards, she made her way towards them silently and let the shadows conceal her so she could hear what was going on.

"How much?"

"Twenty for a small bottle."

Two ragged looking men glanced at each other before nodding and shoving their hands in their pockets before pulling small wads of cash and handing it over. Jasmine noted how their hands shook faintly as they simply held it out. There seemed to be an almost desperate gleam in their eyes. * _Addicts._ *

"Here."

The two masked men took the money then handed a small pill bottle to one man and then another to the other man, "Let's go."

Just as the False Face Society men began to walk away, Jasmine uncoiled her whips and struck them out. One wrapped around one of the guy's ankles, and the other wrapped around the other man's ankle. With a pull, the two men fell with a small shout of surprise. The two drug users began sprinting away, but Jasmine quickly tossed a small device at them that stuck to one of the running men. It was a discrete tracking device. If all went according to plan, they wouldn't notice it in the time period they were running and she was interrogating the two drug dealers. As they began to pull out their guns, Jasmine simply walked forwards kicked the weapons away from their hands.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you two. It would be much easier answering my questions." She spoke lowly.

"We aren't going to tell you nothing, bat lady!" One spat before launching at her. Jasmine quickly rolled to the side and tugged the whip around his ankle, jerking him to the side. She then loosened her whips' hold on their ankles and pulled them back.

"My name isn't bat lady. It's Batgirl. If you really want to do this the hard way, then let's do this the hard way." She said indifferently, watching as the two got to their feet. Before any of them could really react, however, someone darted past Jasmine. The woman was dressed in tight fitting black clothes and she wore a mask that covered the top part of her face, much like how Jasmine's mask covered hers. The mask was created in a way to almost make it seem as though she had ears. The woman even had a whip, which she lashed out at the men quickly as she came forwards. Jasmine could barely even react before the woman had dropped the two men to the ground unconscious.

"Batman took in another? Didn't he tell you this is my turf?" She spoke as she crouched down by the men and pulled out their wallets. Jasmine scowled and stalked over.

"No. Who even are you?" She demanded, snatching the wallets back from the woman who had been about to pull out the money. She smirked at what Jasmine said and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Catwoman. I protect the East End of Gotham."

"Do you? So much for your protection. Drugs were just sold by these two men you decided to knock unconscious, which means I can't interrogate them. Not too smart of a move on your part, huh?" Jasmine said sharply and she gave a laugh before slowly circling her, eyeing Jasmine as though she were a mouse.

"Feisty. I do think we could work together, even if you did steal my style," she commented as she made a show of scanning Jasmine up and down, "However, if you are going to insult me, I guess I could just leave without telling you where these men got the drugs." She said with a yawn and turned her back on Jasmine, "Oh well. Ciao."

"Wait. Where did they get the drugs from?" Jasmine spoke up, clenching her hands in her fists. She hated to be so reliant on this woman for information, but she didn't have much of an option. With the two men knocked unconscious and limited time, she just didn't have the means on waiting for them to wake up. Catwoman seemed smug as she turned back around and sauntered over.

"I knew you would push that petty pride of yours away. The two men work for the False Face Society. They decided to set up base in the East End again, to my distaste. So, like I did before, I'm stealing from them. Though this time I'm framing Penguin, since having two mobs duke it out is oh so fun to watch, don't you think?"

"People are dying because you're framing Penguin. Starting a mob war isn't a smart move to the city." Jasmine said thinly before sighing, "Do you know where this base is?"

"Oh, it isn't as though it will get too blown out of proportion. This new Black Mask doesn't seem to be as threatening as the old one. Penguin will probably silence him sooner or later. It will save me the trouble from doing it myself," She said with a simple shrug before smirking, "Why, of course I do. I'll warn you though, Batgirl. I don't advise trying to take it down all by yourself, or I would have done it already. It would still be sketchy even if the two of us teamed up together, and I don't really bother in things that don't have much in a chance of success." She spoke and Jasmine rolled her eyes despite the fact that Catwoman wasn't able to see them.

"No one is going to end up dying. Where they belong is Arkham Asylum, not a coffin." She said firmly and Catwoman rolled her eyes at this.

"Oh please. That whole "no killing" rule you and your mentor go by is idiotic. Those villains you work so hard to put behind bars are just going to escape anyways. Taking the more permanent route is so much more efficient if you ask me." She sniffed.

"That's all a matter of opinion. Where is this place?" Jasmine asked, starting to lose her patience with the woman, though tried to keep herself calm and collected though Catwoman looked amused.

"What's your opinion on it? Something tells me that you don't completely agree to it either." She purred.

"Look Catwoman, I don't have time for a game of twenty questions. Where is the place?" Jasmine said with an edge to her voice.

Catwoman smiled at her response but held her hands up innocently, "No need to get upset. They're set up in a large abandoned warehouse. It belonged to the Sionus family for their makeup products before they went out of business and was consumed by Wayne Enterprises. Like I said though. You don't want to infiltrate it." She said lightly before flipping a key into the air and catching it before handing it to her, "But when you get a bigger force, here's your ticket in."

"Where did you get that?" Jasmine asked as she took the key and Catwoman simply shrugged.

"Pickpocketed it. Anyways, see you around." Catwoman smirked before running off.

Jasmine watched her leave before glancing down at the key and putting it into her belt for safe keeping. There was something about Catwoman that made her uneasy. Perhaps it was nothing and she was simply being paranoid, but still. She decided to be wary of her. One could never be too cautious, after all. Especially in Gotham. At what Catwoman had said about Jasmine not completely agreeing with the 'no killing' rule bugged her. It had taken a bit for her to accept it, not to mention learn nonfatal techniques in her fighting, but in the end, she saw the importance behind this rule. She didn't feel very opposed to it at all…but with Catwoman having said what she did, it made her consider the fact that maybe she was without her knowing of it. It was all very confusing, so Jasmine pushed it from her mind for now.

Pulling out a tracking device from her utility belt, Jasmine turned it on then looked to the small, blinking red dot. It pulsed on the screen and she checked the roads around it. This would be the location of the drug user she stuck that tracker to. Memorizing the location, she put the tracker away then ran off down the alleyways silently. It was easy slipping past people on the streets and alleyways, since they rarely paid any attention to the shadows around them. Remarkably, and thankfully, Jasmine didn't come upon another crime. At least, not a crime that needed her attention at the moment like prostitutes preying on men, for example. She instead stopped at a rundown home and easily slipped in since the door was unlocked.

The inside of the house was filthy and smelled rather bad. Clothes were strewn everywhere along with trash and broken items. Jasmine watched the ground as she carefully stepped to certain places, only to jump as abrupt laughter burst out from a room to the right. The laughter sounded crazed, and it was rather alarming…and terribly familiar. Swallowing hard, Jasmine made her way over and slowly opened the door. It creaked open and she gasped lightly as she looked at the man who she had placed the tracker on. He was sprawled out on the ground and staring up at the ceiling laughing uncontrollably while his whole body twitched unnaturally. The pill bottle of the drugs he had bought were lying open on the ground with little green pills spread across the floor.

As Jasmine quickly made her way over, she knelt beside the man. As his eyes shifted to her she felt almost sick to her stomach. His pupils were dilated, but that wasn't what alarmed her. The veins in his eyes were a dark green, and slowly, it seemed that the veins all over his body were becoming this color as well. It was like this was a version of her father's Joker Venom. Suddenly, blood began to trail from the man's nose and eyes, and in response, he simply began to laugh harder until it all came to an abrupt end where he just stared up at the ceiling lifelessly.

Jasmine took a shaky breath before rising to her feet. There had been absolutely nothing she could have done for him. Walking over his body, she knelt beside the spilled pills and picked up the bottle. A few were still inside, and she didn't risk picking any of the pills up from the ground, just in case. Twisting the cap back on the bottle, she rose to her feet and placed the drugs in her belt to show Bruce later. The question that plagued her, however, was just how the Black Mask had gotten ahold of her father's venom and placed it in his own drugs. Unless…he had personally asked the Joker to develop them. A light beeping in her ear told her that she was being contacted. Pulling away from these thoughts, she raised her hand and pressed her finger to the earpiece.

"Batgirl. You need to check to see if Jason's tracker is showing up. Now." Oracle's voice spoke in her ear strictly.

Now, Barbara Gordon and Jasmine Quinn have met only once. To say the least, it didn't end all that well. Barbara had been visiting, and Jasmine had happened to walk in. Apparently, no one had informed her of her arrival. At the time, she had been taken in for about two weeks. When she had been told that Jasmine not only was training to take Barbara's old place as Batgirl, but was also the daughter of Joker, the man who crippled her, she had been absolutely furious. Barbara had not only shouted at Bruce and Dick, but also at Jasmine. Bruce had to lead her away, and Dick had attempted to speak with Jasmine, but she had simply brushed him off and told him to go after Barbara. Ever since then, she tried her best not to come into much contact with Barbara.

"Alright." Jasmine spoke, concerned at the message before pulling the tracking device out once again. She turned it on and then typed in Jason's name. The device took only a few seconds before "No Location Available" appeared on the screen. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and she pressed a finger to her earpiece once again.

"Oracle. His tracker didn't appear on my device. What's going on?" She spoke seriously, starting to walk out of the rancid house.

"Jason's tracker disappeared only a few moments ago. I thought it was just a malfunction, but he won't answer my calls either. The last place he was at was in your father's territory…and your parents were reported to have escaped not too long ago." She said sharply. Jasmine froze, her breath catching in her throat for a moment.

" _What?_ "

"Get back to the Batcave. Bruce's orders." Was all Oracle responded with before she ended the call.

Jasmine wasted no time in sprinting out of the house. She used her batclaw to get on top of a roof then jumped from rooftop to rooftop on her way to where she parked her motorcycle. At this time, her heart was pounding in her chest and she had the worst feeling in the pit of her stomach. * _Please don't let Jason to be taken by my parents…please…_ * She thought to herself over and over again. Jason was her first true friend. Sure Dick was a friend of hers, but not as much as Jason was. There was a kind of different feeling with Dick than she had with Jason. If anything were to happen to Jason, especially by her parents, Jasmine wasn't sure what she was going to do.

It didn't take too long to reach her motorcycle. She hopped on as soon as she was in reach. Automatically, she started it up then took off at full speed to the Batcave's entrance. If her parents did have something to do with this, then there was no way she was going to sit out. While the thought of going up against them wasn't exactly thrilling, it was also bound to happen at some point. Jasmine felt like she was ready to, and there was just simply no way she was going to back out, especially if they had Jason in their clutches. Soon, she burst into the Batcave and skid the motorcycle to a stop before jumping off and striding over to the Batcomputer, where Batman was rapidly typing things in. Beside him stood Nightwing, who was looking to the screen with a solemn frown and his arms crossed over his chest. As Jasmine approached, he looked over, though Bruce made no sign that he knew she was there.

"Any sign of him?" She asked, coming to a halt beside Dick.

"No." Bruce growled out and Dick sighed lightly.

"It could be that he is just in an area that blocks the tracker's transmission. It's happened before."

"Not likely."

Jasmine remained silent through the small discussion, only to look over as Alfred came hurrying over with an almost horrified look, "Master Bruce! Turn the local TV on." He called and Bruce frowned before doing so.

On the screen came her father's face. Jasmine froze in place and stiffened. He looked the same as she always remembered, with his green hair, white face, red lips, sadistic smile and crazed green eyes. However, this time, there seemed to be an almost dark glee to him, which told her everything she needed to know. He had Jason. There was no way that he didn't. Having him meant that he had a major trump card against Batman, and in the end, causing chaos for Batman is what mattered most to him. Jasmine wanted to look away. Hell, she didn't even want to hear what he was going to say. However, Jasmine couldn't seem to even move her feet. It was as though she was stuck in place with Joker's eyes seeming to bore into her as if he actually knew she was there.

"I sure do hope you are listening, Bats! I have some rather _important_ news to announce!" Joker said enthusiastically. Jasmine tried to calm herself down and studied the surrounding in the video, only to realize…that she didn't recognize it.

"You see, after my rather spectacular escape with Harley, which you really should look into, by the way. A couple of policemen died here and there and maybe a few inmates escaped. It was quite the event! Anyways! When I returned, I found something of mine missing, and who would steal from me other than the one and only Batman?!" He exclaimed, spreading his hands in a grand kind of gesture. Jasmine felt her hands being to shake faintly. * _No…_ *

"So, as you have probably realized by now, I've taken something of yours! Harley, move the camera to our prized guest!" He said, gesturing to the side.

"Anything for you, Puddin'!" Harley's voice rang out right before the camera shifted over and landed on Jason. He was tied to a chair with his shoulders hunched and his head ducked forwards, causing his black hair to fall over his eyes. His suit was torn in some places and blood rose up from the areas.

"Oracle, pinpoint the location of where this is being broadcasted. Now." Bruce said sharply, quickly rising to his feet.

"Say hello, Robin!" Joker rang out, strolling over behind Jason. He grabbed his hair and forced his head up at the camera and Jasmine felt sick to her stomach. His left eye was blackened and there was a bruise forming on his right cheek. Blood trailed from a split lip and ran down from a gash on the side of his head. Her father let go and his head fell forwards again. During this, Bruce went to the Batmobile, probably having received the location from Oracle, and he took off.

"Here's my deal, Bats! You give me what belongs me, and I'll return what belongs to you. But wait! There's more, folks! You have a limited amount of time to do what I asked. I won't say how long you have, since that would take all the fun out of it." He said nonchalantly before laughing.

Jasmine stumbled back a step before starting towards her motorcycle. Jason was in this situation because of her, so she was going to fix it. There was no way she was just going to stand back and let her father torture Jason when she could put an end to it herself. If he wanted her back, then so be it. Just as she reached her motorcycle, she felt a hand grab her arm, pulling her to a stop. Her father's laughter continued to ring in her ears, which put her on edge and she stiffened before turning her head to the side slightly.

"Let. Me. Go." Jasmine said shortly.

"No. Jasmine, this is the Joker. If you comply with his wishes, do you seriously think he's going to let Jason go?" Dick asked sharply. She was silent for a moment before shaking her head.

"So put a tracker on me! Follow me! The easiest way to save Jason is by returning me to them. This is all my fault and I plan to set it right. I was never meant to be good, and me being here put everything out of balance, Dick. So, now it's being put back into balance by taking Jason from where _he_ belongs." Jasmine said firmly and he turned her to him and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't you think for one second you don't belong here, Jasmine Quinn. This isn't the first time Joker has captured one of us. We'll find Jason. There is nothing that is 'out of balance.' Instead of turning yourself in, you can help us look for him with your knowledge of Joker's area and buildings." Dick said strictly.

Jasmine was silent for a moment before pushing his hands from her shoulders. However, she walked past him and looked back up at the screen her father was still occupying. He was saying something, but she wasn't really paying much attention. Instead, she was studying the surrounding once more. While she hadn't recognized it right away, she had only been in those four houses. It could be a warehouse in his area that he owned or something of the like. She searched for anything that could give her an idea of where he was until she saw one small thing. On the ground, there was a light scorch mark.

"Dick, get me a map of Joker's area." She said, her heart starting to race in anticipation as Dick went to the batcomputer and began to pull up a map of Gotham on it, though he kept Joker up on the screen.

Abruptly, the room cast into a silence as her father stopped talking. He seemed to be listening to some kind of report. It wasn't very long, because then he broke out into his deranged smile, "I thought you might try to use some kind of fancy device, Bats! I hope you enjoyed the present I left you in that other building!" He exclaimed then gave a laugh, only to cut off suddenly and stare at the camera darkly with his hands clasped behind his back. Jasmine shuddered slightly and averted her eyes from the screen.

"Happy hunting." Joker said lowly…and then the screen went dark.

"No." Jasmine breathed, running over to Dick as he brought up a map of Gotham onto the batcomputer's screen. He focused it on her father's area and Jasmine looked over it, scanning her eyes feverishly over the buildings. Finally, she spotted the one she was looking for and pointed to it.

"Here. There was a small fire in this warehouse recently. It wasn't major, but it did damage some of the interior. In the video, there was a scorch mark on the ground. He must be there." She spoke quickly and Dick enlarged the area around the warehouse, which showed the precise location.

"Then let's go." He said seriously, standing up.

The two ran to the vehicles, though this time, they got into the Batwing. It would be much faster than travelling on the roads, and time wasn't on their side at the moment. With Joker having turned off the camera, he was probably making his escape from the warehouse…and taking Jason with him. Jasmine climbed into the Batwing beside Dick, and he wasted no time in taking off and flying as fast as he dared to towards the area.

* _Please let Jason still be there.*_


	11. Chapter 11

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 11

Having been called back to Gotham was something Dick hadn't really anticipated, especially when he had decided to return to Bludhaven the very same day. If he were to be completely honest, when he had first received the call, Dick had been rather annoyed. While he did enjoy returning to his old city and seeing Bruce, Alfred and Jason again, he still loved Bludhaven, and really, his city was more of a top priority. Gotham wasn't his area of expertise anymore, and yet it seemed as though the damn city kept drawing him back into its clutches. Perhaps that was just how Gotham was. It was simply just a complicated city to escape.

Now, when Bruce had contacted Dick, who had been delivering a criminal to Bludhaven's police, Dick had been short. The only thing that really caught his attention was when Bruce had said that Jason was in trouble. The thing about Dick was that when it came to the bat family, he would do just about anything for them. So, he had left as fast as he could and made it back to Gotham once again. When the alarm was simply that Jason's tracker wasn't working and they couldn't get ahold of him, however, he had felt that same annoyance rise in him. Of course, it was an odd occurrence, but not one that was terribly unlikely. There were plenty of places that could block the tracker's signals, and Jason may not answer because he is around some suspicious characters.

If he were to be honest, Dick hadn't been exactly that worried at first. Now, he grew anxious when about thirty to forty-five minutes went by without any progress. That had been alarming, especially since Jason was typically good at getting back with them, and the trackers were very advanced technology. It wouldn't remain offline for that long if someone was moving around to other places. By the time Jasmine had made her entrance was when he had become over the top worried about Jason.

Then, Joker came up. The minute he saw the crazed psychopath on the screen, he knew that Jason had been taken by him. There was just no other conclusion. Dick had glanced at Jasmine when he came on as well. Her reaction was almost surprising. She had completely frozen into place and, from what he could see of her face, she seemed to have paled slightly. It was understandable, he supposed, but at the same time, she had seen this man all of her life. He would think that his presence wouldn't be so…horrifying to her after the nineteen years of her life. Then again, it was Joker, and he had no idea the extent of what he has done to her in her past.

When Dick saw Jason, he immediately felt anger rise in him, soon followed by an almost desperation to find the boy who was like his younger brother. He knew what it was like to be held prisoner by Joker…and it was horrible. There were times he had wondered if he was truly going to die at the hands of the psycho with the crowbar. Now Jason…Jason hadn't been taken by Joker before. Sure, he has faced him, but Bruce was extra careful in making sure that Jason wouldn't have to go through the torture and beatings Dick had when he was Robin…and he was almost successful. That wasn't saying Jason had never been taken captive before. Just not by the Joker. Until now, that is.

When Bruce had left to go find Jason, Dick had to stop Jasmine from turning herself in. There had been logic to her thinking, he knew. Honestly, using her to find Jason would probably be the fastest way. However, there was just no way he could put her in that kind of danger. What was the point of trying to save someone if you just compromise another's life? Jasmine already spent nineteen years of her life trying to escape her parents and become something more. Dick wasn't about to let her throw away her month of redemption, and he knew that Jason wouldn't want her to either. It was better using her knowledge of the area to find Jason rather than using her as an individual, so that was what he did.

So now, Dick was sitting on the left side of the Batwing, pushing it as fast as it could go, while Jasmine sat on his right. They were heading towards one of Joker's warehouses that Jasmine had pointed out only about a minute ago. She had been able to deduce a single location based on a small, almost invisible scorch mark that was able to be seen in Joker's video. Of course, there was no way of knowing if Joker, Harley and Jason would still be in this warehouse by the time he got there with Jasmine. He could only hope that they weren't too late.

As the warehouse got closer, Dick maneuvered the Batwing lower and slowed down to a stop above it. The two of them would be able to jump down safely to the roof at this height, so he didn't bother landing. Besides, the Batwing would land itself while they were busy. Both Dick and Jasmine got out and dropped down, landing in a crouch on the roof. Dick drew his escrima sticks and noticed Jasmine uncoiling her two whips from the corner of his eyes. Opening a hatch, he dropped down into the warehouse then stood at the ready, scanning the area and straining his ears for any sounds. Nothing. Jasmine landed beside him and he clenched his jaw in aggravation.

"You're sure this is the right place?" He asked Jasmine sharply and she gave a small frown before straightening up at well. He watched as she walked over to a blackened spot on the ground and nodded.

"Positive." She murmured, only to look to look over to the side where a chair was. As she walked over, Dick shifted his eyes to where she was headed and followed as well. Crouching down, he inspected dark red dots that were resting on the ground around the chair.

"Blood." He said aloud and she pulled out her batclaw.

"Then they were here after all. That means they can't be far." She said seriously and he nodded, pulling out his grappling hook. Jasmine shot back up to the roof hatch first, and then Dick. They both quickly got into the Batwing as well, which had automatically landed to the roof during their time in the warehouse.

Once again, Dick piloted the Batwing and moved it up so they could look over the surroundings for any suspicious movement. He shifted his eyes quickly over the streets, desperate to find something that could connect them to finding Jason. It was then that a flicker of movement caught his eyes, and Dick peered over to the left, only to see a car darting past a building. A humorless smile played on his lips.

"Found them." He said, taking off after it. It didn't take too long to catch up to the fleeing black van that was speeding down the road.

"…you're sure this isn't just a diversion?" Jasmine spoke, and Dick shifted his eyes to the side and glanced at her for a moment. She seemed almost unsure and he frowned.

"They don't have enough time to have made one up in the time we took to get here from when Joker went off the air. This has to be them." Dick said, though now he had a small shred of doubt. Taking a deep breath, he decided to trust his gut and go with this van. Even if it wasn't Joker and Jason, it was his henchmen, which meant they may know some kind of useful information.

Dick pressed a button as the Batwing was basically over the van, and a hook shot down and into the roof, only to spread open like a grappling hook would. He then pulled up, taking the van into the air with him. Once he rose high enough into the air, he set the van onto a high roof then quickly landed the Batwing. Right as they Batwing hit the ground, Jasmine and Dick jumped out and stalked over to the van.

"Let me take care of this." He growled to Jasmine. He sensed that the order had annoyed her, but she stopped and crossed her arms over her chest silently.

Dick jerked open the driver's side of the door and pulled out a man roughly by the collar of his shirt, making him sprawl out on the ground. The man wore a mad clown mask, so Dick couldn't see his face…yet. Using his one of his escrima sticks, Dick smashed it into the side of his head, making him collapse completely onto the ground with a groan. That would slow him down a bit. He walked around the van until he reached the back, his heart pounding in anticipation. Jason had to be here. There was no way Joker could have rightly guessed this beforehand. He pulled the hatch and saw a chair…but no Jason or Joker. Instead, he was looking at a bomb that began to tick down from five seconds.

"Take cover!" He shouted, sprinting to the side as the bomb exploded, which in turn exploded the car. The force took him off of his feet and he hit the ground hard, rolling a few times before coming to a stop on his back.

Breathing hard, Dick let out a small groan before slowly sitting up, wincing at a pain in his shoulder. Looking over, he saw a large cut and sighed, realizing that a piece of the car must have blown past and cut him. His suit was tore in a few areas and blood was welling from small cuts on his head. Looking around, he spotted Jasmine slowly rising on her hands and knees, which gave him the prediction she had landed on her stomach, though she was breathing heavily and slowly ducked her head. Before she had done this, he had seen a bit of blood trailing from the left side of her lips, and a cut on her right cheek. Her cape was torn and there were a few tears in her suit, but since she had been farther back, she was probably fine. That was when Dick noticed that the man he dazed had been pulled back by a bit. Jasmine must have saved him.

Despite all this, indescribable anger filled Dick and he slowly got to his feet and glanced over, seeing the escrima stick he had pulled out earlier. He swiftly walked to it and swiped it up before making his way to Joker's henchmen. Jasmine had been right. It had been a diversion, and there was only one guy to tell them information. He tightened his grip on his escrima stick then stopped on front of the man. Reaching down, he grabbed the guy by the collar and pulled him up.

"Where's the Joker?!" He shouted at him and the man began to laugh.

"You aren't going to get information from me!" He snickered and Dick gritted his teeth then tugged the man's mask off, only to hit the side of his head with his escrima stick. While the force pushed him back, Dick held onto his collar, keeping him up.

"Tell me." He said lowly and the guy let out a smile.

"Tough luck, Nightwing."

This time, Dick dropped the escrima stick and punched him, letting the impact force him to the ground this time before grabbing his collar again and pulling him up. The guy spat out blood and glared at Nightwing, but remained quiet. Dick got ready to hit him once more, only to feel something wrap around his wrist and tug his arm back. He looked over to see Jasmine with her whips uncoiled. One of them was wrapped around his wrist, which stopped his next punch.

"Let me handle this." She said in this quiet and calm voice. He was hesitant at first but then simply nodded. He got to his feet and dropped the man, who groaned as he hit the ground only to start laughing as he looked up at Jasmine as she was walking towards him.

"Oh, I'm terrified. A short woman with two whips? This is supposed to intimidate me?" He laughed, which soon turned into a shout of pain as he pressed his hand to his already bruised cheek and he saw blood trickling down from where his hand was. Dick blinked, only to realize Jasmine had struck him with her whip. It had been so fast that he had almost missed the entire action.

"Do you know what I can do with these whips?" Jasmine spoke, kneeling down beside him.

The man glanced at her and scowled, "What? Dance around a pole?" Much to Dick's surprise, he saw Jasmine give a light smile.

"A good guess, but no. See that cut on your cheek? I can put five more of those on you in under three seconds. So, imagine how many you'll have after one minute." She said simply before tilting her head slightly as if thinking.

"That would be approximately one hundred lashes. Now, I don't want to lash you one hundred times, and I have a feeling you _really_ don't want me to lash you that much. However, you're going to give me no choice if you won't tell me or Nightwing what we want to know." She said strictly. Now the man looked fearful and Dick saw him swallow hard, and knew that he was trying to hold on to his tough guy act

"I-I don't care how many times you can lash me. In the end, I'm much more afraid of Joker than the two of you!" He burst out and he heard Jasmine sigh and slowly rise to her feet.

"Oh well. I tried to warn you," She sighed and then twisted the bands on the hilt of her whips, which made the spikes come out. Dick started to step forward to stop her, since lashing him not only one hundred times but also with those spikes would be too much.

"What the hell are those?!" The man shouted, starting to shift backwards in fear.

"Oh, I must have forgotten to mention that my whips have this really interesting quality to them. Yeah, the metallic plates become spikes. Ready for the one hundred lashes?" She spoke, starting to raise her hand. Dick opened his mouth to tell her to stop, but didn't say anything as the man held up his hands.

"Okay, okay! I-I'll tell you what you want to know! P-Please just…don't whip me with those torture devices!" He stuttered, and Jasmine lowered her hand and tilted her head as though she were considering the offer.

"Hmmm…I don't know. What do you say, Nightwing? Do you think he's going to be honest with us?" She asked, looking at Dick from over her shoulder.

Dick looked to her and then to the man, who was gazing at him with pleading eyes. Now the way Jasmine had handled the situation was really quite extraordinary. She used intimidation and fear to manipulate the man into doing what she wanted. At the time, Dick's rage had blinded him from doing just that. While he hated to admit it, Jasmine was the reason why they were getting this information now. The man never would have spoken with him the way he had been approaching the subject.

"I'd say he'll be pretty damn honest with us, because let me tell you," He began, shifting his attention towards the man, "I won't try to stop her if she decides you're being untruthful." He spoke lightly, though the warning was there. He stepped up beside Jasmine and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at the man, "So, I would advise you to speak."

Joker's henchmen gulped then licked his lips and darted his eyes around warily before resting his gaze on Batgirl and Nightwing, "A-Alright, the boss is planning on keeping the kid-" He began, then abruptly cut off his body jolted backwards and he lied still.

Immediately, Dick whirled around and sprinted to the edge of the roof where he saw a shadowed figure drop to the ground from the roof they had been on by using a rope and then run off into an alleyway. He cussed under his breath, knowing that at this point, it would be close to impossible to catch him. Clenching his hands into fists, he turned around and paused. Jasmine was crouched over the man with a small frown. As he walked up, she slowly rose to her feet and looked to him.

"Shot in the heart." She informed him and sighed, looking at the body.

"Right as he was about to tell us the information too." He scowled then looked to Jasmine and rested his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look over at him.

"Are you alright?" He asked seriously, and he saw her scowl then brush his hand away.

"Oh please. The man was just shot and killed. It isn't like it was traumatic or anything." She said sharply before looking to the man, "Besides, it was bound to happen sooner or later. He lasted longer than most of Joker's henchmen. Not only that, but he was a terrible person. He deserves what he got." She said casually. Dick frowned at this. Most people would be upset about seeing a person get shot and killed in front of their eyes, but Jasmine was treating it as though it was a natural thing. That meant…* _She has seen people get shot before._ * Dick thought to himself. He knew that Risuka had been shot, though he hadn't known if she saw it or not.

"No one deserves to be killed unless it is a constitutional decision made in a court," He said to her firmly before sighing, "Whether he was a good man or not, he still had valuable information that we desperately need, and now he's gone along with the rest of my ideas of where to get information."

Jasmine was silent for a moment, seeming to be thinking of something, before she shook her head with her own sigh, "Don't forget that the night is coming to an end. I guess we don't have much of a choice but to check in with Batman and hope he has some kind of lead…or actually found Robin." She said, her voice troubled and almost distant.

"Jasmine," Dick said, her tone gentler and she looked to him, "don't worry. We'll find him."

While Dick himself was extremely worried for Jason, he also wanted to comfort Jasmine. He knew that she considered herself responsible for his disappearance, but really, if she wanted to point blame at anyone, it should be him. He was the one who found her and talked Bruce into giving her a chance by getting her away from Joker and Harley. If Dick hadn't been the one to find Jasmine, she would have stayed there. Bruce probably wouldn't have found her until she was presented, or if he would have found her earlier, wouldn't have given her much of a chance, if he would have given her one at all.

Jasmine smiled halfheartedly before turning towards the Batwing and began to walk towards it. Dick noticed that she had a slight limp. She must have injured her foot from the explosion. He hadn't realized this before, but then again, it was not as though he had been paying extremely close attention at the time. He followed after her and climbed into the driver's side of the Batwing once more. By the time he had gotten in, Jasmine was already sitting and staring out of the window.

"I have a question for you." Dick said as the Batwing lifted into the air. He saw Jasmine turn her attention to him.

"Ask away," She responded and he moved the Batwing forwards.

"When you were interrogating that man, were you planning on using your whips?" He asked.

There was a slight pause and then, "I don't give empty threats. When your opponents are threatened by you, but you do not carry out your actions, then that will tell them that you will not follow through. I want to be taken seriously." She said coolly.

"I understand that, but one hundred lashes seem a bit extreme, don't you think?" He stated, glancing over at her in time to spot her humorless smile.

"No. Not really," She said and turned her gaze out the window once again, "Then again, I could take one hundred lashes without a single cry of pain. Perhaps I should think about others. Not everyone can take the pain. He cried out after one simple little hit on his cheek."

Dick shifted his eyes to her for a moment. With her mask on, he couldn't tell her emotions or what she was thinking but then again, he still found it hard to get a read on her even when she didn't have a mask on, "You've been whipped before then?"

"Yes. It was part of my training and punishment when I was younger."

"I see." Dick said quietly, checking around the surrounding to see that they were getting rather close to the Batcave. There was a small silence between them for a few minutes, though it wasn't awkward. It was clear the two were awfully worried, and while talking earlier had helped in taking their minds away from the situation at hand, it snuck back up on the two of them once more.

Dick felt as though he had failed Jason tonight. While he was probably being tortured by Joker, they were unable to save him. He was too late in getting to the warehouse, he fell for the diversion and the explosion, and then when the man was finally going to talk and tell them what they needed, he had failed to see the shooter on the other roof. Jason was now forced to be with Joker for much longer than anyone ever should because of these failures, and they were all Dick's fault. Jasmine had warned him the car may be a diversion, but he just hadn't believed that Joker had been able to predict everything correctly. Then when it came to the interrogating, Jasmine had to take over to try to pull the info, which ended up being a waste of precious time they could have spent looking for Jason. Due to the lack of a call, Dick had a feeling Bruce hadn't had much of a better night, but it was still extremely frustrating.

"Do you truly think we'll be able to find Jason in time?" Jasmine asked softly as Dick was landing the Batwing in the Batcave.

"We have to. Besides, you give us a pretty good advantage because of your knowledge of Joker's area." He told her and he saw her taking a deep breath and give a small nod.

"Right."

As they landed, Dick and Jasmine got out of the Batwing. Dick came up beside Jasmine and looked to the center, where Bruce was pacing in an aggravated fashion. His mask was off and his black hair was messy, showing that he had probably run his fingers through it multiple times. As Dick had expected, his former mentor had failed tonight as well. Hearing their light footfalls, Bruce looked over and his pacing came to a halt. That was when Dick realized that he and Jasmine probably didn't look great, considering they were caught in an explosion. However, he doubted that Bruce would pay much mind to it since he was so set on finding Jason.

"Anything?" He asked gruffly and Dick shook his head.

"We found the place Joker had taken Jason to, but by the time we got there, they were already gone. Afterwards, we saw a van speeding down the road, so we investigated that, but it ended up being a diversion. We don't know his location." He spoke up.

"Damnit," Bruce growled, looking to the side and glaring dangerously at the wall, "I shouldn't have let him go alone."

"Bruce, this isn't your-" Jasmine began, but he locked his blazing eyes on her, which was enough to silence her.

"This is _entirely_ my fault! If anything happens to him, then it's on _my_ head." He said fiercely and instead of backing down, Jasmine instead tugged her mask off with her own eyes set almost coldly.

"Then hand me over! Make the trade, and save Jason! I've survived my father and my mother for nineteen years, and I can do it again. Jason is family to you, so put his life before mine." She said strictly and Dick looked to her in surprise and then glanced at Bruce, who was looking at her with an almost guarded expression. For a moment, he almost thought that Bruce was considering what she said until he walked forwards till he was standing directly in front of her.

"You may not have been here as long as Jason has, but you are still a part of this family, Jasmine. I'm not going to risk sacrificing you, because in the end, it wouldn't achieve anything. Instead of Jason, we would be looking for you. You're family. Not a pawn." He said firmly, looking into her eyes as he said so then walked past her.

"The two of you better see Alfred to get patched up and get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow." He called as he walked to the Batcomputer. Dick knew that he would be there all night.

Dick couldn't help but look at Bruce go in a son-like admiration for a moment. He did and said exactly what Dick thought he would have. The Bat Family _was_ Bruce's family. That was something Jasmine didn't understand, though perhaps now she did. When it came to them, Bruce would put everything on the line, and in return, they did the same for him.

Dick looked to Jasmine, who was still standing in place. As he slowly walked beside her, he noted the surprised look in her eyes and her lips slightly parted, as though she wanted to say something but didn't have the words. Lightly, he reached out and touched her shoulder, which seemed to pull her back from her thoughts and she glanced at him before averting her eyes down.

"I told you not to think that you didn't belong here, didn't I?" He said to her gently.

"You did. I just didn't completely believe you. Come on, let's go find Alfred." She said quietly before turning and walking to the elevator with that limp of hers. It was odd hearing her speaking so quietly after seeing how serious and fierce she truly was. He thought back to teasing with her and her arrogance, and couldn't help but consider that perhaps that wasn't the real her, exactly. It was just the side of her that she wanted to be seen as. Dick easily caught up to her with his long strides then swooped her into his arms, making her give a light gasp of surprise.

"Put me down, Dick." She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as he held her with an arm under her knees and the other supporting her back.

"You're limping. This will be much faster and a lot less painful." He told her evenly and offered her a small smile.

"I can deal with the pain." She said shortly and he shrugged.

"I never said you couldn't, but with your short legs _and_ a limp, well, getting to Alfred could take forever." He said matter-of-factly and he saw her give a small smile.

"Don't insult my height, Grayson." She spoke, and Dick caught a trace of amusement in her voice.

"I'm not insulting it, exactly, just giving the cold hard facts." He spoke and she gave a light laugh.

"Smartass."

"No need to retaliate. Not everyone can have my brilliance and extraordinary height." Dick smiled, happy that he had been able to get at least a small smile on her lips. She seemed to have relaxed with the light banter, and she turned those blue-green eyes to his at what he said with a genuine smile.

"You call it brilliance and extraordinary height, but I'd call it overconfidence and freakishly tall." She said smoothly and he smirked lightly.

"That's because you're jealous and short."

"I am not!" Jasmine laughed and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Not jealous or not short?" He asked quizzically.

"Both." She huffed and he snickered.

"Liar."

She lightly smacked his chest with the back of her hand and he chuckled lightly, "Okay, maybe I'm a _little_ short, but I'll have you know that being 5'4 is as an average height for women." She pointed out.

"Mhm, that's what they all say." He said haughtily and she laughed.

"You're impossible!" She smiled before resting her forehead on his chest.

"I like to call it selectively considerate to certain statements."

Jasmine burst out laughing and shook her head before looking back up at him, "You truly are one of a kind, Richard Grayson." She said warmly and he smiled at her before walking into the kitchen, hoping to find Alfred there. Thankfully, he had guessed correctly. The butler had a plate in one hand and a rag in the other. Hearing the two of them, he slowly turned around and widened his eyes, seeming to almost drop the plate.

"Good heavens! Master Dick! Madam Jasmine! You are both in a most atrocious sight!" He said, setting the rag and plate down.

"You sure know how to charm a girl, Alfred." Jasmine said with a small smile, and Dick glanced at her. It seemed that their bantering had lightened up her mood enough that she was saying her old teasing comments. Using his foot, he pushed a chair out and set her down in it.

"I aim to please, Madam." Alfred said with a light smile before he sighed, "Get yourself seated, Master Dick. You aren't going to be able to escape my treatment this time." He said strictly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a needle and thread for stitching,

"Escape his treatment?" Jasmine said with a smirk his way and he sighed lightly.

"Oh yes. Master Dick has always had a problem with letting me stitch him up." Alfred began walking over to Dick.

"I have not, Alfred." Dick muttered before holding up his hand and indicating to Jasmine, "If you wouldn't mind, could you check her first? Her left foot seemed to be sprained."

"I see what you mean, Alfred. He does seem to be avoiding your treatments." Jasmine spoke and Alfred gave a smile before making his way over to her. Dick huffed and crossed his arms over his chest before leaning back against the chair.

"That is untrue. I'm simply concerned. I took the injuries, so I can take the stitches." He said coolly.

"He just wants to seem tough, Madam Jasmine." Alfred spoke and she laughed softly before leaning down and unlacing her left boot.

Dick simply gave a small grunt to show he heard, but watched the two from the corner of his eyes. The cut on her cheek must not be too bad, since Alfred didn't say anything about it. She definitely didn't get too bloodied up from the explosion, which Dick was grateful for. As she began pulling the boot off, he noticed her clench her jaw and her eyes harden a little, telling him that the simply action had hurt to do. She rolled her sock off as well and he frowned. Her ankle was swollen and already seemed to be bruising.

"Hm," Alfred gently took her foot then pressed on the swelling lightly.

"Ow." She muttered, and Dick narrowed his eyes. She hadn't even winced.

"Tell me if it hurts as I'm moving it." Alfred instructed her before slowly moving her foot to the side. Dick watched her face carefully. It was expressionless. Absolutely no emotion whatsoever. By the look of the swelling, she had one pretty bad sprain. Even he would have winced at the press or as Alfred shifted it, but not her.

"It hurts," She murmured and Alfred glanced up at her, seeming just as surprised.

"Why, you haven't winced, Madam." He said and she averted her eyes for a moment.

"I…have a high pain tolerance." She said. Dick studied her for a moment while Alfred just nodded in acceptance without another word then began to move it the other way, which was a quicker reaction to it hurting. * _I've never seen anyone except maybe Bruce with this pain tolerance._ * Dick thought to himself, watching as Alfred began to press on it once more, and she once again only told him when it hurt, though she had discrete pained reactions this time, like a tightening of her hands of a clench of her jaw. However, there were no little gasps of pain or anything of the sort.

"Well Madam Jasmine, I would say that your ankle most likely came close to breaking, but lucky for you, it is just a sprain. Of course, this is just a speculation. There's no way to know for sure unless you get an x-ray." Alfred explained and Jasmine smiled to him before leaning over and cautiously pulling the sock back over.

"I'll take your word for it. Thank you, Alfred." She said to him warmly.

"I will get you a brace once I patch up Master Dick." He said, starting to walk over to Dick.

"Oh, I don't need a brace. These boots are pretty sturdy." Jasmine said lightly and Dick smiled.

"Jazz, I think we both know that arguing with Alfred is a bad idea. Plus, wearing that brace is good advice anyways." He said calmly and she huffed before nodding.

"Yeah, yeah, fine." She grumbled, leaning back in the chair and crossing her arms over her chest. Dick found himself studying her once more as a distant look came into her eyes. Not for the first time, he wished that he could follow her into her thoughts and see what it was she was thinking about. Even after all this time, she had been able to remain a sort of mystery. Her eyes slowly shut and his eyes lingered on her.

"Master Dick, I would suggest getting into a different change of clothes so I make these stitches quick and easy." Alfred spoke up, pulling Dick's attention back to the butler.

"Of course. I'll be right back." He said, getting to his feet and began walking out, but paused beside Jasmine. Her breathing was even and soft and typically, she would respond to footfalls, but she remained unresponsive. * _Has she already fallen asleep?_ * Dick thought to himself. Sighing softly, he stepped closer to her and gently picked her up from the chair. Her head rested against his chest and her eyelids fluttered faintly but she remained in her slumber.

"On second thought, I might be a little longer. I'm going to take Jazz to her room." Dick spoke up, looking to Alfred who nodded.

"Quite understandable, sir."

Dick smiled to the butler before he walked out with Jasmine sleeping in his arms. He made his way to the hallway where her room was at, glancing down at her from time to time. Her face looked so peaceful when she slept. Awake, she always seemed to have a hidden worry or concern even before Jason had been taken. She so often got lost in her thoughts, and every time she did, she looked intense and solemn. It was nice to see her look so…free.

As he got to her room, Dick noticed that it was open a little bit. He nudged it with his foot so it opened wider and walked to her bed, gently setting her down in the mattress. While he would wake her up so she could wash off the blood and change out of her Batgirl outfit, he also wanted to let her rest. As he pulled back, he became aware of the ache in his already painful shoulder where the deep cut was and sighed. He really needed to get it stitched. Just as he turned to give, a small sharp intake of breath caught his attention and he looked to Jasmine from over his shoulder. That peaceful look she had was gone, and was replaced with one that seemed troubled and almost fearful. A small mumble escaped her lips, though he was unable to decipher what she said. From the sound of it though, whatever she said seemed to have been in Japanese. Her hands began to clench and unclench slightly and he quickly strode over. She must be having a nightmare.

"Jasmine." He said firmly, resting his hand on her shoulder and lightly shook her. Abruptly, her eyes snapped open and she gave a loud gasp before breathing a little quickly. She closed her eyes for a moment and slowed her breathing. Perhaps a few seconds afterwards, she slowly opening her eyes and met his gaze before glancing around her.

"You carried me to my room?" She murmured and he nodded.

"Yeah. You okay?" He asked and she nodded.

"It was only a little nightmare. I'm fine." She said, not sounding particularly concerned.

"You don't seem to be very affected by it." Dick commented and she shrugged.

"They aren't new to me. I get at least one every week." She said softly and he frowned in concern. People didn't typically get nightmares regularly unless they went through something traumatic and/or scarring.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm okay, Dick. Honestly. Stop worrying and go get stitched up." She said to him firmly but also with a small reassuring smile.

Dick sigh and pulled back slightly before crossing his arms over his chest as he looked to her seriously, "What was it about, and how is it that you barely reacted to pain?" He spoke and she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair.

" _Dick._ Now really isn't a great time for these questions at the moment. You need to rest and get that wound stitched. Can't we discuss this in the morning?" She spoke, sounding exhausted.

"No."

She gave him a vexed look before nodding slowly, "Alright," She breathed softly before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and stood before Dick could react all that much.

Dick noticed how she put her weight all on her right foot mostly, but he still didn't understand why she needed to stand just to explain the answers to his questions. He knew that this wasn't exactly the most exemplary time and place, especially since he would keep Alfred waiting longer, but this time, he wanted to _know_ something instead of having her brush him off like she typically did. He also knew that tomorrow every second of the day would be spent trying to locate Jason. There wouldn't be any time for such explanations, and honestly, it wouldn't be relevant at that time. He looked to her expectantly as she met his eyes.

"When I was younger, Risuka started my training not with how to handle whips, but experiencing them myself. I needed to understand the devastation and pain they can cause to another to fully understand the weapon itself, and this was vital to know before learning how to use them. So, with different intensities that she put on a scale of one to three, she whipped me approximately fifteen times five days a week. This part of the training would only come to an end once I did not cry out for a single lash. It took a few months, but eventually I learned to harness the pain and contain it inside rather than expressing it outwardly. I became accustomed to pain, and even now, that training still sticks with me," She explained evenly, not breaking eye contact with him the entire time, though she began to undo her suit.

Dick stared at Jasmine for a moment before letting out a small breath. Fifteen whip lashes for five days a week until she didn't cry out? * _How young was she when this happened?_ * He thought to himself, since she hadn't given an exact age. The way this woman had trained Jasmine had been tough and strict. There were plenty of people who would hate the woman who put them through such intense training, and yet it was evident that Jasmine admired her rather than think of her sourly.

Then, Dick noticed that she finishing in undoing the suit and began to pull the top part of it off. Quickly, he averted his eyes, "Um…Jasmine why are you-" He began, only to feel one of her fingers press against his lips lightly to silence him. Shifting his gaze, he looked down to Jasmine who was simply wearing her bra at this time.

"To show you. It's not like you haven't seen this before anyways," She commented with a small smile before pulling her finger away from his lips. He couldn't help but give a smile in return, since he had first met her by accidently walking in on her as she was changing.

Dick watched as Jasmine took a small step back. This gave him the opportunity to study her. Her skin was toned, and it was evident that she was in shape just by looking at her upper body. There was a light bruising on her stomach, telling Dick that his prediction of Jasmine having landed on it from the explosion had been correct. Her skin was a fair color and her light brown hair fell just past her breasts in waves. Then, she turned her back to him. At first, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Her shoulder blades were prominent, reminding him of a bird for a quick moment. Her back seemed to have a natural arch to it as well. A slight silver line on her skin caught his attention and he peered closer before stepping until he was directly behind her. Now that he looked closely, he saw dozens of long silvery scars that were almost completely invisible. They were everywhere on her back. It went from over her lower back, to shoulder blades and shoulders. There didn't seem to be an inch of her skin that wasn't scarred.

"My God, Jasmine. How many do you have?" He breathed, raising his hand. He pressed it against her back lightly and trailed his thumb over a scar, though her skin was smooth to touch which made it feel like she didn't even have any. He felt her shiver lightly beneath his fingertips from his gentle touch.

"I lost count after 250." She answered in an almost faint voice.

"250." He repeated in a murmur and a small shake of his head. He gazed over her back and trailed his hand over to her right shoulder, only to see a few more on her forearms, "What about those?" He asked and noticed her turn her head before looking forwards once again.

"Self-inflicted. Whips are pretty hard to use at first, and it isn't uncommon to lash yourself a few times by accident when starting out." She explained before turning back around and pulling the top part of the suit back on.

"Well, there you go. That's the primary reason for my high pain tolerance." She said, clearing her throat then looked to him expectantly.

Dick looked at her quietly for a minute and studied her, trying to figure out her emotions, though the only thing she expressed was the expectant look in her eyes as she gazed at him, "Oh…yes. What about the nightmare then?" He asked, though he was still interested in her back.

She paused for a moment before averting her eyes in an almost embarrassed way and rested one of her hands on her forearm, "W-Well…I have that phobia of fire. So, when we were faced with the bomb situation today, I ran to get the man after you shouted. When the van exploded, the heat of it sparked that phobia up. My dream was centered on fire mostly but…I'd rather not give the details, if you don't mind." She spoke.

Dick felt a little bad that he had her tell him about the dream, since she seemed so embarrassed about it. Now that he thought about it, when she had ducked her head after the explosion, he had thought it was because she had been in some kind of pain. Her breathing had been heavy as well. Now, he couldn't help but wonder if it had been her phobia acting up in that moment. Back when he heard that she had a phobia of fire, he hadn't imagined that it was really that bad. However, now that he was truly considering it, it made him think of small instances where it had been obvious. One, for example, was when a fire had been in the fireplace, and he and Jason had to talk her into sitting by them. Each time the wood had popped from the fire, she had jumped and seemed to be on edge for the duration of the time she had spent with them.

"I don't mind," He said to her gently then walked over to her, "I'm sorry I was so forceful, Jasmine." She looked over at him and gave a light shrug. He noticed that her cheeks were a light pink color, though it was fading slowly.

"It's alright. I need to start telling you my past when you ask questions about it. I trust you, Dick. It's time I was more open with you." She said to him genuinely and he couldn't help but smile at what she said. He was extremely happy to hear her say that she trusted him and would be more open with him.

"I'm glad to hear that, Jazz. Well, I'm going to go back to Alfred. You should get some rest." He said to her and she nodded in response and gave a light smile.

"I will. See you tomorrow, Dick." She said, giving a light yawn.

Dick paused for a moment before wrapping his arms around Jasmine and pulled her to his chest in a gentle hug. He felt her rest her forehead on his chest and wrap her arms around his neck. He set his hands on her lower back lightly as he held her to him. This time, he ducked his head and rested it on her shoulder as well, letting his worry for Jason fill him once more.

"I'll find him, Dick. I won't stop until I do." He heard Jasmine say and he tightened his arms around her slightly. He was silent for a moment before slowly pulling away.

"You won't be alone. Good night, Jasmine," Dick said to her and she smiled to him.

Dick gave a small smile back before turning around and walked out of her room, closing her door behind him lightly. He went to his room and pulled his suit off, only to pull on a pair of sweatpants, leaving his chest bare. Stopping before a mirror, he inspected the deep cut. Already, blood was welling up once again. Before, his suit had been soaking up the blood, but now it was already starting to drip down his arm. Letting out a low groan, he quickly jogged back to the kitchen where Alfred was.

"You took quite a while, Master Dick." The butler spoke, grapping a towel and wet it down before walking over.

"Yeah, sorry about that Alfred."

"Not a problem, sir." He answered, wiping away the blood before taking out a needle and thread. He then began to sew up the cut. Dick was quiet as he did, thinking back to how Jasmine had taken Alfred's shifting and pressing on her ankle. If she could contain her pain like that, then he could take a few stitches without expressing any outward pain. It really didn't take too long for him to finish sewing up the cut, since the butler had sewn so many injuries at this point that it probably came as second nature. Once he was done, Alfred wrapped his newly stitched cut with bandages then leaned back.

"It is finished, Master Dick."

"Thanks Alfred. Tell the Old Man to get some rest, would ya?" He asked as he stood with a light yawn.

"You know I always do, sir." Alfred sighed and he gave a small smile.

"Yeah, I know. Night Alfred."

"Good night, Master Dick."

With a small nod of farewell, Dick walked back up to his room. He really did hope that Bruce got some rest, though knowing him, he wouldn't be sleeping any time soon. He wouldn't stop until he found Jason. Dick had no doubt that Bruce would have plenty of places that needed to be searched by tomorrow. As he got to his room, Dick started up the shower then undressed once more. He stepped into the shower and sighed out in appreciation as the warm water soothed his sore muscles. Any lingering blood washed off his body and he rolled his shoulders, feeling them crack lightly. He lathered shampoo into his hair and washed it out before turning the water off.

Stepping out, Dick dried off then pulled the sweatpants back on. He brushed his teeth quickly then walked to his bed and practically collapsed onto it. He really didn't realize how exhausted he was until now. His eyes drooped in exhaustion and he gave another yawn before letting them close. Sleep quickly overtook him, not letting his thoughts even begin to linger on the situation with Jason or evaluate things with Jasmine like they usually did.


	12. Chapter 12

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 12

Jasmine watched as Dick left her room before leaning back against the wall and tilted her head back, taking in a deep breath. Immediately her mind drifted back to when she had shown Dick her back. She most definitely had not expected him to rest his hand on her back, let alone trace his thumb along a scar. In her life, Jasmine was used to having pain inflicted upon her and being treated strictly and harshly. When he had touched the most heavily damaged part of her body so gently and lightly, she hadn't been able to keep back a small shiver at the foreign sensation. It was touches like those that she wasn't used to, and it had felt so incredibly…nice.

As for having blushed, it was mostly because of the embarrassment of Jasmine's phobia of fire. She absolutely hated her fear. It was a weakness, and a really wide ranged weakness, too. Fire was used everywhere, and even the smallest bit of it made her uneasy and wary. Risuka tried to help her overcome her fear, but every exercise she tried failed, and eventually, it was just something she gave up. She said that because Jasmine's tolerance of pain was so high, it would make up for her phobia. In a way, that was correct, but it still held her back. If Jasmine had the opportunity to vanquish her fear, she would. When she got close to fire, it would become almost hard to breath, her heart would pound and she would start to tremble faintly. There were times she could even freeze up. For lighters, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the contraptions. They made her extremely wary. As for when the van exploded, the reason her ankle was sprained was because of her phobia. The big ball of inferno that took over the vehicle had made her twist too quickly in an attempt to get away. With the twist and the force of the explosion, her foot had jolted forwards on a twist just before she was thrown into the air like Dick had been.

Jasmine shook her head slightly before standing up straight and walking to a dresser. Pain immediately shot up from her ankle, making her grit her teeth though she didn't stop her advances. It wasn't anything that she couldn't handle. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a pair of black sweatpants and a plain blue t-shirt before closing it. Of course, Jasmine wasn't going to be sleeping like she had said she would earlier. While she felt a little guilty for having lied to Dick, at the same time, she felt justified. Besides, she knew that getting to sleep was going to be difficult, and nightmares were sure to plague her if she successfully dozed off. In the end, she would much rather make use of herself than twist around in her bed because she was unable to fall asleep.

A knock at the door caught her attention, and Jasmine tossed the clothes over her arm then slowly and carefully walked over to the door. She opened it to see Alfred holding a brace in his hands. Now, Alfred had actually seemed skeptical of her when she was first accepted, though he had never been disrespectful. Alfred was not one to be disrespectful to really anyone, though she could tell that he seemed to keep a closer eye on her than normal at first. They would exchange pleasant and formal words until recently, really.

The day the relationship between the two had changed had been rainy, and despite this, Jasmine went outside. When she returned, Alfred had been waiting at the door with a towel. She had gratefully taken it and Alfred had forbidden her to walk farther into the house until she wasn't dripping wet. When she dried off a bit, she had been rather cold, so he had offered to make her hot chocolate, which she had responded to with a blank look that soon turned apologetic. She remembered that he had seemed surprised that she had never heard of or tasted hot chocolate. Tea she had a few rare times, but when it came to candy, desserts or the likes, she hadn't had anything close to that ever since she was seven. So, in the end, Alfred ended up making her hot chocolate while also teaching her how it was made. Every now and then since that day, he would show her how to cook basic and simple things if she had the time to.

"Madam Jasmine. You shouldn't be standing on that foot of yours without the brace. Doesn't it hurt?" He spoke, looking concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing I can't handle, Alfred. I've dealt with worse. Thanks for bringing the brace." She said, taking the brace gratefully as Alfred handed it over to her.

"Worse, Madam? Your sprain probably could have easily been a break." He spoke, looking almost confused.

Jasmine gave a slightly sad smile and nodded, "Yeah, worse. It will be fine. Don't worry so much." She said and he sighed.

"It is my job to worry, Madam Jasmine. Now, you should be getting some rest, and I must say that I am rather fatigued as well." He spoke and she smiled warmly.

"Of course, Alfred." She said, watching as the butler bowed before retreating down the hallway. There was no way Alfred would be going to bed while Bruce was still awake. This led her to the assumption that Bruce ordered him to go to bed.

Jasmine closed the door and walked to her bathroom where she started up the shower. As she waited for it to heat up, she inspected the brace. It seemed like a nice brace, though it would probably limit her movements. That would be an annoyance. * _What if I don't wear it when going out in Gotham?_ * She thought to herself before immediately pushing the idea from her mind. As much as she resented the idea of being limited in her movements, she didn't want the injury to get worse or take longer to heal. She would just have to be more careful until her ankle was in better shape. The whole thing was rather obnoxious really. In the time that she needed to be in top shape, she had to watch out for her stupid ankle.

* _If only I hadn't reacted the way I did during that explosion._ * She thought to herself bitterly, unclasping the belt and resting it on the counter. She then took her Batgirl suit off and stepped into the shower, letting the heated water pound against her back as she shifted her weight to her right foot. She let out a small breath and tilted her head back, closing her eyes.

It felt nice, letting the water wash over her. The effect was rather calming, even though there was plenty to be worrying about. Of course, that calming effect didn't last nearly as long as Jasmine would have liked. Her mind was soon overcome with thoughts of her father, Jason and the False Face Society. In a way, she couldn't help but wonder if the False Face Society was somehow in on Jason's kidnapping. It definitely seemed like an odd coincidence that her father's venom would be placed in these drugs that the society is handing out to their buyers.

Jasmine lathered shampoo in her hair then tilted her head back and let it rinse out. Of course, she was going to tell all of this to Bruce once she got down to the Batcave. Perhaps he could make sense of a connection that she hasn't considered just yet. She really hoped that it wouldn't end up being a separate case, since that would take much needed attention away from Jason's. Right now, Jason was the one that needed all the attention, not other criminals in Gotham. However, since they helped in keeping the city safe, they couldn't just ignore all the other criminals. She supposed that, in a way, they could. They could leave it in Gordon's hands, and perhaps that was what Bruce intended to do. It would make complete sense, and really, Jasmine couldn't help but wish this as well. Honestly, Jasmine didn't want to be taking down minor criminals while Jason could be getting tortured or killed at the same time by her father.

After rinsing off her body, Jasmine turned the shower off then stepped out and used a towel to dry off. She tugged the sweatpants and shirt on quickly along with her brace before using the towel to wring her hair. Grabbing the key Catwoman had given her and the bottle of drugs from her utility belt, she quickly exited her room and made her way to the Batcave. The elevator took her down and she stepped out, immediately looking to the Batcomputer where Bruce sat with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I thought I told you to sleep, Alfred." She heard him call without looking over and she couldn't help but smile lightly as she began walking over. Her assumption had been correct.

"I'm not Alfred. He actually did follow your orders." She spoke and he glanced over at her for a moment.

"Jasmine. You should be resting as well." He said strictly.

"I'm not tired."

"Don't care. Go to bed."

" _Bruce_." Jasmine sighed then pulled the key and drugs out, "I have some information from earlier that you may be interested in hearing. I would rather not lie awake in bed doing nothing while I could develop useful information now."

Bruce sighed lightly before looking back over at her, "What did you figure out then?"

Jasmine gave a small smile before becoming serious once more, "As you know, Jason and I ran into the False Face Society last night, even though Sionis is declared dead. Tonight, I picked the area with the most drug dealers to try and figure out more about this revived group. I was able to witness a drug deal, and at the end of it, I put a tracker on one of the addicts and was roughing up the dealers to interrogate them when Catwoman interfered," She began and Bruce frowned.

"I'm not surprised Catwoman would look into this. Not only does she protect the East End of Gotham, but she has a history with the False Face Society back when Jason and I were looking into them as well." He said lowly.

"She already knows a bit from the sound of it," Jasmine nodded, "She figured out a warehouse where they are stationed at and I would have infiltrated it if not for her warning me against it. This key is the way into it though. She said to bring a bigger force to fight before using it." She explained and Bruce picked up the key and inspected it before nodding slowly.

"And the drugs?"

"I was just about to bring them up," Jasmine spoke before opening the bottle, "As I said, I placed a tracker on one of the addicts who had bought the drugs. When I was finished speaking with Catwoman, I traced him back to this rundown house. Only a few seconds after I entered, I heard crazed laughter and found him lying on the ground laughing while his body convulsed and twitched. Blood soon ran from his nose, ears, eyes and mouth and then he died. There is only one thing that could make someone die like that." She said and Bruce's eyes darkened and he took the drug bottle from her.

"Joker's venom." He growled.

"Exactly. The thing is that no one knows how to make it except-"

"Joker." Bruce stood up and walked over to a lab like counter where he placed the drugs from the bottle on. Jasmine followed him over quietly as he inspected a green pill. Jasmine handed him certain instruments when he indicated to it.

"This raises the question on how the False Face Society got ahold of drugs filled with my father's venom." Jasmine spoke and Bruce was silent for a moment before speaking.

"The only way they could have figured it out is if they hired Joker to make it for them or stole drugs Joker already made. The likely version would be that they hired him, but Joker isn't one to do favors. He must have some kind of benefit from this exchange." He spoke and Jasmine thought for a moment before sighing in frustration.

"It still doesn't make sense though. Why would the False Face Society want drugs made that would kill their buyers? That would scare off potential victims once word about it spread." She spoke, only to see Bruce give a small smile.

"Not precisely. This pill I just opened doesn't have Joker's venom in it, but I bet if I opened up all these pills, we'll find a few with it inside." He said and Jasmine watched eagerly as he swiftly did just that. Sure enough, a few had some of Joker's venom and the others were simply regular drugs.

"So this means that it is all based off of luck. The buyers who survive will experience some great kind of high and spread it on the streets, earning the drug more buyers, which benefits the False Face Society. However, the unlucky ones who get Joker's venom pill will die, but it wouldn't scare off many potential buyers because it isn't uncommon for people to overdose on drugs, and it definitely isn't uncommon for someone to be killed by Joker and his venom." Jasmine spoke and Bruce nodded.

"A good speculation. The only thing you failed to say is that while Joker would like his venom causing at least a little bit of chaos, it wouldn't be enough. He would want something more. I bet that in return for making the False Face Society some drugs, he was given an okay to use their facilities. If my guess if right, do you know what that means, Jasmine?" He asked, looking over. His blue eyes were blazing in the dim lighting and it all clicked into place.

"Jason could be being held not only in Joker's territory, but also the False Face Society's." She breathed, only to realize something, "This means that he must know that…I've switched my alliances." She said quietly and he glanced over at her before giving a small incline of his head.

"Precisely. That means this search for Jason is going to be much harder than I previously thought. There is a large abundance of buildings Joker has, and with this being a new False Face Society, we don't know all of their current locations. For all we know, they could be using the same buildings as before when Sionis was in charge or they could all be completely different." He said darkly and Jasmine gritted her teeth.

"That is, if what we are assuming is correct." Jasmine spoke.

"It is. Jasmine, I want you to create layouts for every building your father has. If that building has a secret room, I want you to put it. Everything you know about these places needs to go down. I'm going to pay the Society a little visit." He said darkly, pulling his mask on.

"Right." Jasmine nodded before walking over where some plain papers were. It would be easier for her to draw everything out rather than using technology. It put her memory to the test and it would be less likely for her to forget anything.

"Barbara, are you still awake?" Jasmine heard Bruce say and then caught a light smile on his lips as he paused for a response, "Great, because I might be needing your assistance."

Jasmine watched as Bruce walked over to the Batmobile and got it. Only a second later, it zoomed off. Quickly, Jasmine made her way over to the Batcomputer where she brought up her father's territory and scanned it over. Huh…he was missing a few buildings. She typed in the two other houses she had been transitioned through in her life. It was very possible that they were still being used, and she wasn't about to skip over any detail by not putting the locations down. Once the information was updated, she took a piece of paper and twirled a pencil in her left hand then began to draw the layout of the house Dick found her in. She knew the secrets and layouts of the three houses the most out of any of Joker's buildings. So, it would make sense to figure those out first before anything else.

7:32 a.m. At this point, Jasmine's hand hurt and her fingers felt almost numb. Papers were set around her, all of which had building layouts and small handwriting of that level's secrets. Fatigue ate at her, and prominent shadows were smudged under her blue-green eyes. Despite this, she continued to run the lead of her pencil across the paper she was on, exposing a warehouse in her father's area. It was getting harder to conjure up certain information. Her mind simply didn't want to work. However, she refused to be beaten by her exhaustion, and after a minute or so, she would be able to dig up the needed info and jot it down on the paper beside the drawing of the building.

Bruce had returned not too long ago. In fact, he was on the Batcomputer at the moment. The sound of his fingers tapping against the keys feverishly echoed through the Batcave. Bruce had only been able to get a bit of information. Their assumption of Joker and his involvement in the False Face Society had been proven correct. Joker was allowed to use some of the society's buildings and in return, he created drugs for them. What he hadn't been able to figure out was who exactly this new drug lord was or where Joker was keeping Jason. Not even Catwoman, whom he had spoken to as well, knew. He had been able to pinpoint a few new locations of buildings the False Face Society was using, and as of now, he was keeping tabs on the buildings.

Setting the pencil down, Jasmine pressed her palms against her eyes for a moment and a yawn forced out of her. She quickly scowled then raised her head and picked up the pencil once more and continued working. Her goal was to finish all of this by noon at the latest. She didn't have the time to take any breaks. Her hope was that these maps could at least provide a useful insight into helping find Jason. Already, Jasmine missed him. She had spent quite a bit of time with the boy. He helped her figure out certain moves and would spar with her from time to time. While he was serious, he also teased with her here and there. She couldn't help but think that if she had been the one taken, Jason already would have found her. He always seemed to be good at things like these.

"Perhaps you should get some sleep, Jasmine." Bruce said, and Jasmine looked up from her work for a moment to see him standing across from her.

"No…I'll be fine. I'm close to finishing up the rest of these, and I'd rather not stop now." She said with a light smile before returning her attention to the paper she was on.

"If you believe you can take it, then alright," He responded and she heard his footfalls get closer before his hand rested on her shoulder gently, "Don't overwork yourself, Jasmine. You've done a great job."

Jasmine glanced up for a moment in light surprise and smiled at him warmly, "Thank you," She said softly and he smiled slightly in return. He patted her shoulder before walking back over to the Batcomputer.

Jasmine continued her work, only to hear the elevator opening. While curiosity fought to win her over by having her look over her shoulder, she stayed focused and just scribbled down information about the warehouse she was on. As the footsteps got closer, the urge to look was overbearing, and she glanced up slightly. It was Alfred holding a tray of food, though he seemed surprised to see her there.

"Good morning, Alfred." Jasmine spoke up, setting the paper to the side before drawing a blank one. She crossed a warehouse name off a small list she had created then instantly began on the next one.

"Why, good morning, Madam Jasmine. I was not expecting you to be up at these hours." He said.

"She stayed up with me, Alfred." Bruce called over without even a mere glance over at the two.

"All night, sir?" Alfred said, not feigning the surprise in his voice.

"Yup. I couldn't sleep, so I figure this would be a better way to spend my time." Jasmine answered, only to inhale the scent of coffee, "Oh, Alfred, that coffee smells wonderful. Would you mind getting me a mug?" She breathed.

"Make that two." Bruce called over lightly and she heard Alfred sigh.

"Of course." He said, sounding troubled before setting the tray down and pouring coffee into a mug. He brought it to Bruce then returned and looked to Jasmine apologetically, "I wasn't expecting you to be down here, madam. I will need to return to the kitchen to get another mug." He explained and she nodded.

"That's fine Alfred, thank you." She said, looking up with a grateful smile before returning to her work.

Alfred's retreating footsteps echoed throughout the cave before the sound of the elevator replaced them. Then, it was silence once more except for Bruce's typing and the sound of Jasmine's pencil scrawling on the paper. She gazed down at the outline of the warehouse she was on and tapped the end of the pencil against her lips in thought. This one was hard to remember for her. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, but certain information began to blur together and shuffle around in her mind. Closing her heavy-lidded eyes, she picked her thoughts to pinpoint the correct information.

* _Hmm…this one had labs…my father has used this facility to develop venom before. Tortured and killed a few people there was well…used a few of his plans to lure Batman there…has a few rigged systems on the ceiling-_ * She brainstormed, which came to an end as someone grabbed her chin lightly but also firmly, and turned her head to the side. Her eyes snapped open and she found herself looking into Dick's blue-gray irises.

"Jasmine…" He breathed before moving his hand to her cheek and lightly brushed his thumb under her right eye where shadows had resided, "have you stayed up all night?"

Jasmine found that she had caught her breath at his small gesture, and the concern in his eyes was evident. She turned her head from his grasp and looked down at the outline before scribbling down the thoughts she had collected, "Yes," She replied shortly, trying to get everything down before her mind wandered.

"You can't just stay up all night, Jasmine! You need to rest." He said to her strictly and a bit of annoyance sparked in her.

"I can and I will if I find it necessary. I wouldn't have been able to fall asleep anyways." She said sharply.

"Putting this kind of strain on your body doesn't help anyone, especially when you're so tired that it makes you careless out on the streets of Gotham." He responded thinly and she clenched her teeth.

"Dick, leave her alone. If I remember correctly, you've stayed up for days without sleep before," Bruce spoke up and Jasmine smirked and spared him a mocking glance.

"Hypocrite."

Dick glared at her for a moment before walking over to Bruce, "She has shadows under her eyes, Bruce. When I stayed up that long, I had been trained to be able to. She's only been here a month and-"

"Jasmine believes she is capable in dealing with fatigue, and from what I've seen from her, I don't doubt her decision. If I remember correctly, I'm her mentor, Dick, not you." Jasmine heard Bruce say calmly and glanced up, seeing Dick clench his hands into fists.

"Yeah. I remember." Dick said coldly before spinning on his heels and began to slowly walk away. Jasmine saw Bruce sigh lightly and squeeze the bridge of his nose before turning back to the Batcomputer to work. She looked back to Dick, who paused as he was about to pass her and looked over. He seemed to want to say something and Jasmine narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly, curious as to what he wanted to say.

"What do you hope to accomplish by wearing yourself down, Jasmine?" He asked lowly and she frowned.

"Finishing these maps. I'm hoping these will help in finding Jason. I would have assumed the answer to be obvious," She spoke.

"Is that all?" He asked thinly, glancing over and she scowled.

"What? Is my answer not good enough for you?" She snapped and he shook his head.

"I never said that. I just hope that you're doing this only for that reason instead of feeling as though you have to prove yourself." He said stonily and Jasmine was silent for a moment and was about to reply when Alfred came down with another mug. Instead of responding, she simply looked back down at the paper and continued her work.

"Here you are, Madam Jasmine." Alfred spoke, resting the mug beside her.

"Thank you, Alfred." She murmured, setting the pencil down and taking a small sip as she heard Dick's footsteps retreating.

* _Why would I need to prove myself? Have I not already done just that?_ * Jasmine thought to herself. While she wanted to write off this reasoning, a small part of her wondered if a bit of that was true. Maybe she did want to prove herself capable of being a part of them. Sleep was something she could control. By staying up instead of sleeping, she was using the precious time to help in searching for Jason. It was something that Jason probably would have done, and it was what Bruce did do. Dick had taken care of Bludhaven before getting caught up in this mess, so it made sense that he had gotten some rest. However, she hadn't exerted herself too much before the situation broke out, so she didn't really have a good reason to need the sleep when she could be doing much more important activities. By staying up, it was a way of proving that she was an important member of the Bat Family that wasn't some kind of pushover. She was capable of doing what Barbara, Dick, Jason and Bruce were able to accomplish.

Jasmine frowned deeply before pushing it from her head. She had the maps to focus on, not something Dick said that had a chance of being true or not. Besides, it was already done. She already stayed up all night, and there was no changing that. All she needed to focus on now was getting them done before noon, which was her goal. So she did just that. For hours, she stayed in that chair, scribbling down layouts and information while sipping coffee. She didn't accept food and she didn't speak except for small one word responses if spoken to. Dick didn't come to speak with her again, but her mind was so set on the task at hand that she didn't think that much of it. The last map was finished at 1:15 p.m. So, she almost fulfilled her goal of making all of the maps by noon. It went over an hour and fifteen minutes, but she did finish them, which was a relief.

Yawning, Jasmine piled the abundance of maps together then got to her feet. At this hour, she could start training, and then go out into Gotham to search for Jason. At some time, she would need to eat to gather her strength as well, which would probably need to happen after she trained. It would make the time shorter, but that was no matter, she supposed. Bruce had left not too long ago for a necessary Wayne Enterprises meeting. He hadn't wanted to go, but with leading another life other than Batman, it wasn't as though he really had much of a choice.

Jasmine walked down to the training area and set up a dummy before starting to punch it. She felt weary, but fought through it. There wasn't any time for sleeping. With each punch, her mind shifted back to what Dick had told her about drawing strength from her core when punching. Pausing for a moment, she shifted her feet before released a punch, this time following his advice. A smile came over her as she realized that the punch had indeed been stronger than her last ones.

"Nice punch. It's good to know that not all of my advice is being ignored."

Jasmine looked over her shoulder to see Dick standing not too far off with his arms crossed over his chest before resuming her punches, "I don't ignore all your advice."

"Right. You only do when it matters." He said thinly and she scowled.

"If you came here to be unpleasant, then please leave Dick." She said coldly.

"I didn't come here to be unpleasant. I came here to challenge you to a fight." He said, his tone turning lighter, though there was a dark undertone to it.

Jasmine's eyes shifted to the side and she ceased her punching. A small smile came over her and she turned towards him and walked up, "Did you? I accept your challenge then." She answered, studying him closely. In the month she has been at Wayne Manor, Dick has never sparred with her. To say the least, she was interested in fighting against him.

"Great," Dick answered, and then he seemed to blur forwards. Jasmine only just barely sprang back in a dodge as he struck forward in a punch, "I hope you're ready."

"Don't worry. I am." She smirked.

Dick snickered slightly before striking forwards. Once again, he seemed to almost be a blur. Jasmine remembered Jason telling her that he was fast…she just never imagined him to be this fast. With each punch and kick, Jasmine was just barely able to dodge and block the attacks, but she was still able to. However, she could only be on the defensive. * _How will I be able to attack him…if I can barely even dodge his attacks?_ * She thought to herself as she clenched her teeth. With each passing moment, she could feel herself slowing. Without sleep, it was harder to maintain her endurance. Sure enough, as Dick struck forwards, his fist made contact with her shoulder, making her stagger backwards.

"Don't tell me this is all you have." He smirked at her.

Jasmine breathed hard as she righted herself and smiled darkly, "I'm just getting warmed up, Big Shot. Don't write me off just yet." She said before shifting to the balls of her feet and surging forwards.

Jasmine swung her fist forwards, then instead used the momentum of the punch to duck around him swiftly. She smirked then directed an uppercut punch that was about to land on his side…until it stopped. She blinked it surprise and glanced up, seeing that Dick had caught her fist. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly shifted to the side as he punched down at her. Quickly, she grabbed his arm that held her fist then used his arm as leverage to jump up and swing herself behind him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and wrapped her arm around his neck before leaning forwards.

"Don't forget, Dick. Bruce isn't the only one who has taught me how to fight." She breathed in his ear lowly. Then, she tightened her arm around his neck and leaned back, bring his body with hers. As he became off balance and began to fall backwards, she twisted her body to the side, which twisted his as well. By the time they hit the floor, it was Dick who took the impact and Jasmine sitting on top of him with his chest facing the ground.

"Game over." Jasmine said with a smirk, raising her hand in a punch, only to gasp in surprise as his elbow came back and caught her in the cheek. Having it caught her off guard, Dick was able to roll without much resistance, where he pinned her to the ground with his back.

"I wouldn't be too sure of yourself, Jasmine." He said with a smile before getting to his feet and spinning around to face her once more.

Jasmine got to her feet as well before smiling slightly, not even noticing the small bit of blood trailing from the right corner of her lips when his elbow had made contact with her cheek. Then, black began to linger near the edges of her vision and she stumbled to the side, feeling a little lightheaded. * _What…is this?_ * She thought to herself, though at this point, it now didn't matter. Dick struck forwards at the first show of her lowered defenses. She felt her wrist being grabbed and then being pulled forwards. Dick twisted her arm before her back as she stumbled forward from the pull before pressing her against the wall roughly.

"I believe I win." He said to her lowly and she squeezed her eyes shut as the lightheadedness vanished and the darkness in her vision had cleared away as she reopened her eyes.

"So you do." She muttered, and he let her go. She turned from the wall and looked to Dick, who stood before her with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were stony for a moment until he sighed and gently took her hand, pulling her to him. He reached up and ran his thumb over her bottom lip, wiping away the blood that had been trailing down.

"I hope you realize why you lost." He said gently, meeting her eyes.

"Yeah. My vision decided to go to shit." She grumbled and he laughed slightly.

"Sure, but there's a reason why it did. When someone is hungry and exhausted and they stand up fast, they tend to get lightheaded and the edges of their vision will start fading. Of course, these effects are only temporary, but it was enough for me to defeat you. That wasn't the first show of your fatigue though. You were sluggish in this fight, and for the speed you did have, it was difficult for you to maintain it during the beginning of the fight when I was attacking." He said to her calmly and matter-of-factly.

"Ah. I see why you did this. You're trying to prove that you were right about the whole 'staying up all night' thing. Am I right?" She asked sharply, unable to contain the annoyance rising in her about it.

"You are." He answered and she scowled, pulling back from him.

"Look," She said lowly then met his eyes fiercely, "I don't need _your_ permission to do or not do something. If you don't like what I'm doing, then suck it up. The _only_ person who can tell me what to do is Bruce, and even then, it isn't like I'm going to do everything he says. You may have saved me from a terrible fate, and I'm grateful for that, but you do not _own_ me. Stop trying to be some high authority over me!" She snapped at him coldly before brushing past him angrily. The feel of her wrist being grabbed made her pause for a moment.

"Jasmine, I'm only trying to protect you. I'm trying to show you that there are consequences for overworking yourself," He said, sounding weary and she frowned deeply before ripping her hand away from his grasp.

"I don't need your protection, or anyone else's. Got it?" She said darkly before walking forwards once more, "Besides. There is nothing you can do that will stop me from going out to look for Jason tonight. You might as well have saved the effort in trying to 'enlighten' me." She said thinly before stepping into the elevator. Dick never responded, though he never had much of a chance to since she was soon ascending back up to the manor in a matter of a few seconds.

On the way up, Jasmine let her strong and fierce composure fall and she leaned her back against the elevator wall. She knew Dick only had her best interests in mind. Really, she shouldn't be getting so upset over this small thing. However, it was almost as if he didn't have faith in her to hold her own. At least, that was how it came across to her. She didn't want to rely on anyone, but she liked the thought of others relying on her, or at least holding her in high standards. The thought that Dick wants to protect her tells her that he thinks less of her, whether it was true or not.

Jasmine knew the thought process itself was flawed, but she has never had the desire to lean on another person, let alone be protected by someone. In the end, independency was almost as important to Jasmine as her own life. She would rather be dead than being entirely dependent on another. Perhaps this attitude towards independency came from Risuka's death, since when she was little, she had depended on the Japanese woman. When she had been taken away from Jasmine, then everything Risuka did for her was gone as well. It had been another devastating blow for her, and she never wanted to be dependent on anything or anyone ever again in fear that they would be taken from her again.

As the elevator door opened, Jasmine slowly walked out and made her way to her room. She was so tired…especially after the spar. It had taken quite a bit out of her. However, she didn't plan on sleeping. Instead, she decided it was time to get ready to look for Jason. Since she hadn't been expecting to fight with Dick, her timing was off, which meant there was no longer any time to eat. Instead, she would simply get changed then go out to search. There was no one who could stop her from this. No one.

* _I'm going to find you Jason, even at the cost of my own life, whether Dick supports me or not._ *


	13. Chapter 13

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 13

Dick stood in the Batcave with his head bowed a little. His black hair came forwards, casting his eyes in shadow. It had been a few hours after his spar with Jasmine. With the way she was acting, she was going to get herself killed. Knowing that he could do nothing to stop her from being so destructive was frustrating. Yes, he knew that staying up all night wasn't that bad, but it was the fact that she wasn't allowing herself to get any rest until tonight that was bothering him now. After their fight, it was clear that she was exhausted, and that exhaustion was what led her to her downfall. Even in the beginning she hadn't been as fast as he has seen her before.

Sighing, Dick tilted his head up and ran his fingers through his hair to push it back from his eyes. The way she left had put a bad feeling in his chest. She was going back to being only dependent on herself. The thing was that she didn't need to be. She had people to help her now, and she shouldn't feel as though she needs to prove herself. Dick tried to tell her this and let her know that he was on her side, but she only became upset over it. It was as though he couldn't win in this situation.

Dick shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over by the table where the maps Jasmine had used her time creating. Picking one up, he studied it quietly. It was rather helpful, he would admit. Tonight, he would search through a few of these warehouses for any traces of Jason. Bruce had already filled him in on the False Face Society's involvement. Bruce would be investigating them, so it was up to Dick to search Joker's area. Jasmine was supposed to be sleeping, but after what she had said not too long ago, there was no way she was going to be asleep.

Shaking his head, Dick walked to the elevator and rode it up to the manor. It was about time he got dressed into his Nightwing suit. As the elevator doors opened, he strolled out and made his way to his room. He gave a slight pause as he came upon Jasmine's room and he stayed quiet, trying and hoping to hear some kind of noise from within. Turning to it, he hesitated before knocking on the door. His main purpose was to see if she was still here or if she already went out. The other part of it was that he wanted to clear things up between them. He hated ending on a bad note with her. When no one answered, he sighed then pushed down on the door handle and slowly opened the door.

Jasmine was nowhere to be seen in her room. It was deserted. Her room itself was actually very neat for the most part. Her bed was made, and there was nothing on her walls except for a picture that had been hanging in its place for years. Even the tables and dressers looked bare and, well, average. The nightstand had a lamp and a clock, and the dresser had nothing on top of it. The only thing that really made this room look like hers was the books that filled two shelves. There were novels lying around with post-it-notes sticking out from the top of them. A few were even stacked on the wooden desk in her room. Something else on her desk caught his eyes and he walked over to it. Peering down, he noticed that it was a large…sketch book?

Dick picked the sketchbook up in his hands and thought back to when he brought Bruce to see her. When she had sketched that small layout of Gotham and pinpointed the areas her parents' were attacking, he remembered seeing glimpses of a few well-drawn sketches. Looking down at the book in his hands, he contemplated putting it back. It really wasn't his business to be looking through her drawings. However, he was terribly curious. So, with a few side glances, he slowly opened it up to the first page and widened his eyes as he looked down at it.

* _No way…Jasmine drew this?_ * Dick thought to himself, stricken at the sketch. It was…amazing. The drawing itself had been done in pencil only, that was evident, but it looked so real. The drawing was of a cat. He brushed his fingertips against it lightly, expecting to be touching the softness of fur, though he only touched paper. Glancing to the side, he noticed that many pages had been ripped out from the beginning, and he couldn't help but wonder what pictures they had been before they were lost forever.

Slowly, Dick turned the page and sat on the edge of her bed. This drawing was even better than the last one. It was of an Asian woman, which he could only guess was Risuka. From the drawing, it was clear the woman was beautiful. She had long hair that fell over her shoulder in a braid and had an earring in her left ear, though he wasn't sure about her right since her head was drawn turned to the side. Her eyes were what were so captivating. They seemed so…distant and sad, yet at the same time, strong. In her hands, she held the hilt of two whips…* _Wait._ * He peered closer at the hilts of the whips and sucked in a small breath. Those were the whips Jasmine used. When she said that her whip were precious to her, he had found it odd that she had been so attached to a weapon. Now it made sense. It wasn't the fact that the whips were her primary weapon, it was the fact that they used to belong to the woman who was her instructor and like a mother to her.

Dick turned the next page and blinked. He was looking at…himself. Well, Nightwing to be more specific, he supposed. His body was no more than a silhouette as he stood in front of a window. In his hands were his two escrima sticks. However, his head was turned slightly to the side. There seemed to be almost a mysterious vibe to the picture. In the corner of the page, he saw small Japanese writing and he narrowed his eyes and he studied it. It read: _Why is he coming back?_ Quickly, he turned the next page and found that it was him once again. He was still Nightwing, but this time he was leaning against an alleyway wall with his arms crossed over his chest and a small smirk on his lips as he looked over. Once again, Dick turned the page. It was him once again.

"Why have you drawn me so much, Jazz?" He murmured to himself, flipping to the next page. This time, it was him starting to pull his mask off. The angle was of his side. The mask was just away from his face and the eye that was shown was peered open only slightly. His lips were turned down in this frown and his hair looked almost as though it was trying to conceal his eyes as well. He noticed small Japanese characters once again and looked down at them. It read: _There are two sides to him_.

Dick flipped to the next page, seeing Alfred in this one. He had this small smile on his lips as seemed to be cooking hot chocolate. In the next page, it was Jason training, and the one after that was of Bruce with his hands crossed in front of him and his chin resting upon his hands. His gaze was intense and somber. Another was of Dick and Jason, looking as though they were teasing, and another was of an interaction between Alfred and Bruce. Dick kept shifting through the different sketches, studying each in interest. He paused at one of himself that showed him leaning back against a tree with an apple in his hand. However, his head was tilted back against the trunk and his eyes were closed. He looked…happy. Turning to the next page, he found himself looking at him and Jasmine only a few days ago. It was when he had been teaching her how to use her core in her punches. In the picture, his hand was pressed to her abdomen, but instead of her turning away like she had done in real life, she had this soft look in her eyes and had her head tilted towards him. A small smile came over him and he lightly touched the page with his fingertips.

"Master Dick, it is rather rude to go through another's belongings."

Dick quickly snapped his eyes up and closed Jasmine's sketchbook. Alfred was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, "Oh…yes, it is." He murmured, standing up and setting the sketchbook back in the place where he had gotten it.

"I understand that you are upset with her, but perhaps going through her personal possessions is a bit…too much, don't you think Master Dick?" Alfred spoke and he frowned in embarrassment before walking over to Alfred with a small sigh.

"I…I'm only worried about her, Alfred. I hadn't come to her room to look through her things. I came here hoping to find her asleep like she had been ordered, but she's gone. I got sidetracked looking at her drawings. That's all." He explained and Alfred nodded slowly.

"You seemed to be rather enraptured by her drawings, sir." He commented and a soft smile came over Dick.

"That's because they're spectacular. I had no idea she could draw like that. Well anyways, I really should be getting out into Gotham." He spoke and Alfred sighed lightly before stepping back from the doorway.

"Of course, Master Dick. Do be careful." He said and Dick smiled over at the butler.

"I always am."

"That, sir, is quite the lie."

Dick laughed at the statement before going into his room. Glancing at the time, he cussed under his breath. He had been looking at Jasmine's drawings longer than he had expected. Quickly undressing, he soon tugged on his Nightwing suit and placed his mask over his eyes. Immediately, he made his way over to the Batcave. Before leaving, he jogged over the Batcomputer to look up everyone's positions. Bruce was in the East End of Gotham, and Jasmine was moving out from Joker's territory towards the East End as well. * _I guess this means I get Joker's territory. How fun._ *

Quickly, Dick brought up Joker's territory and pinpointed a few building he was planning on investigating before standing up. He walked over to the maps Jasmine made and pulled out the ones of the buildings he was going to be infiltrating. Scanning through the contents, he then placed them back then got into the Batwing and took off. From the looks of it, Bruce took the Batmobile and Jasmine had her motorcycle. He then began to head in the direction of Joker's territory constantly bringing up the location of Bruce and Jasmine just to be aware of their placement.

"So you finally decided to join the action." A voice spoke in his ear and Dick smiled.

I wouldn't miss it for the world, Barbara." He answered with a light chuckle, "Any news?"

"Nope. Not anything new so far. I'll be sure to inform you once something out of the ordinary comes up though."

"Thanks. I hope I hear from you soon then." Dick responded in a serious voice before slowing the Batwing down over the top of a building.

Glancing down, Dick ran Jasmine's notes of the building through his head for a moment. It was a place where Joker's venom had been created, and maybe still was, which meant he needed to be careful. He had no plans on getting caught in the killing gas. Dropping down from the Batwing, he landed on the roof in a crouch. In the notes, Jasmine said that there were alarms on every opening except for an old window that had a broken lock, which meant he needed to find that window. He walked along the edges of the building and gazed over the side at the windows. So far, each seemed secure and newly bought. As he rounded another corner, the first window, he noticed, looked old. * _This one might be it._ * He thought to himself, attaching his line launcher to the side of the building before jumping off the side. He twisted in the air and quietly came towards the building with his feet hitting the side with a muffled thud. He paused for a moment to see if the small noise attracted any attention. When no one came, he slowly shifted over to the window. Studying it, he spotted the lack of a lock and smirked slightly before simply pushing it open with ease.

Dick slipped in through the window and glanced around the warehouse. It seemed rather empty at the moment, though the faint murmur of voices reached his ears. Glancing to the side, he spotted some light peeking out from under a door and he silently made his way towards it before pressing his back against the wall beside the door. Taking out a device, he turned it on and attached it to the door before putting an earpiece in his left ear, which let him hear the conversation going on in the other room.

"How long is the boss planning on keeping the kid alive? Why not just kill him and get it over with?" A man complained.

"You know why. He likes to draw things out and make a spectacle out of it. Besides, if it takes the Bat's focus off of us, then I don't care how long he decides to keep the punk alive." Another male voice rasped. * _So not even his henchmen know how long Jason has to live.*_ Dick thought to himself with a deep frown. This made it just that much more pressuring to find him. Even now, Jason could be dead. * _I can't think like that now.*_ Dick scolded himself in his thoughts.

"That's true. The Bat hasn't been protecting the rest of Gotham in his search for the pathetic kid. Makes it rather easy to get away with our orders." A deep voice smirked. A sudden waft of cigarette smoke rose into the air and Dick crinkled his nose but otherwise remained silent.

"Yeah, but I heard Nightwing is in town, which is a cause for concern all by itself." Another voice huffed, this one feminine. At the mention of him, Dick smiled slightly.

"Don't tell me you're scared. He's another one of the Batman's pawns. He'll be using his time in searching for the kid." The rasping voice spoke once again, and Dick narrowed his eyes.

"Speaking of Batman's pawns, I heard Batgirl has returned on the streets." The man who had complained earlier said.

"Yeah, the Boss also said to take her too if the opportunity arises." The female responded and Dick stiffened.

"I never understood what the point was in that." The deep voice spoke up. * _Four people are inside the room.*_ Dick concluded, * _Three men and one woman. Raspy, Deep, Complaining and Female._ *

"Probably to cause a little extra chaos, but let's be real here. Who actually ever knows the Boss's plans anyways?" Deep said lowly.

Small murmurs of agreement came from the room and it lapsed into silence for a few moments before a phone began to ring. "I got it." Raspy said. Dick heard the sound of shuffling feet as he walked and then the sound of a receiver being picked up. * _Landline._ *

"Mhm…yup," Raspy said, clearly speaking with someone by the slight pauses. There was a longer pause before he spoke again, "You better still have her by the time we get there, or else."

Dick's eyes widened and he quickly brought his tracking device and looked up Jasmine's location. The pulsing dot on the screen rested in one spot in the East End of Gotham. "It was some goon from the False Face Society. He says they have Batgirl, so it's our job to pick her up." Raspy said, and Dick heard the sound of a gun being picked up.

"Shouldn't we contact the Boss?" The female asked.

"They already did."

Dick didn't care who said it, he was already sprinting silently to the window he had come in at, his devices tucked safely away. He could feel his heart racing as he jumped out from the window and caught the cord from the line launcher. He easily pulled himself back up on the roof and took his launcher back before running to the Batwing. Swiftly, he settled in and immediately pulled the machine up into the sky and set it off towards East End.

"Oracle, you there?" He asked sharply as he pressed his finger to his ear.

"Yup, what do you need, Dick?" She immediately responded.

"Batgirl's location. Tell me the building she's in and its address."

"Why do you ne-"

"Just do it!"

"Okay, okay." Barbara said, and there was a few moments pause, "It's an old Sionis building on 4th Street and Lafayette." She said hurriedly.

Dick quickly looked down at the buildings below him. He knew what the building looked like. It had a torn apart sign on the top of it with a badly destroyed 'S,' and had been used before by the False Face Society, which must have been a shred of luck for him since he actually knew where it was and didn't have to run down the streets and looking for the precise address. This was much faster. Already, he had lost Jason. He couldn't lose Jasmine too, and if he were honest with himself, he would guess that Bruce was on the same boat with him.

Finally, the building came into Dick's line of sight and he directed the Batwing over the building before jumping down. He landed in a crouch on the roof then searched feverishly for some kind of entrance he could use. A window would be much too noticeable, and as of now, he had no way of knowing how many people he was up against. All he knew was that if Joker got here before Jasmine was saved, then there was no telling what would happen to her. He grit his teeth at the very thought, only for his eye to catch on a small lever. Quickly, Dick walked over and crouched down beside it, seeing chipped red writing that read 'Fire Escape' on it. * _Looks like I've been blessed with luck once again._ *

Opening the hatch, which was surprisingly not that noisy as it opened, Dick spotted a metal ladder that led down to an iron rail. To maintain his stealthy strategy, he climbed the ladder down instead of just jumping. As he reached the bottom, he turned around to take in his surroundings. He was on a guard rail overlooking over the spacious area of the warehouse. Below him were men in masks, which were clearly the False Face Society. There was about twenty of them if he were to guess. * _Not good_.* Boxes of guns and RPGs were pushed against one wall and he narrowed his eyes. * _How did they get so many without Bruce's knowing?_ * The sound of someone being hit entered his ears, and he quickly snapped his eyes over, seeing Jasmine. She was tied to a chair, her mask still in place. Blood trailed from her lips and a bruise seemed to be forming on her already cut cheek. Her head was a bit ducked forward, and from the rise and fall of her shoulders, she seemed to be breathing heavily. It was then that he noticed the small holes along the sleeves of her suit. Burn marks. Anger swelled inside of him and he stealthily, but also quickly, crept along the guard rail so he was closer to the side she was at. * _How would they have known to use fire against her? Usually, fire isn't used as a torture technique with these guys._ * He pondered to himself with a deep frown.

"Are you going to tell me now?" The False Face Society member asked her smugly. Jasmine tilted her head to the side a bit, showing she heard. Her lips shifted into a smile in response.

"You'll have to…do better than that." She breathed and he sighed lightly.

"Fine. Then I guess the fire will do once again. Look, if you tell me, then it will spare you a lot less time when Joker arrives. He'll make you scream in under a minute." The man smirked.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that if I were you." Jasmine said lowly in response, and the man pressed a lighter against her injured cheek. Dick saw Jasmine clench her hands into fists and her whole body stiffen. She turned her head, a helpless effort to try to move from the lighter, but the False Face Society member just kept it pressed to her cheek anyways.

"Really? Well, he knows your fear, doesn't he Batgirl? If I were you, I would be really damn afraid." The man said lowly then turned the lighter on. The flame licked against the side of her face and a small scream escaped Jasmine's lips and she ducked her head away, though the man had already turned off the lighter.

Jasmine's breathing was shallow sounding and the man grabbed her hair and tilted her head back before pressed the lighter against her collarbone then turned it on. Getting to his feet, Dick quickly inspected the lights. Breaking them would be the most effective maneuver in getting her out of here quickly and efficiently. Another scream rose from her and Dick grit his teeth. The very sound of the fear and pain in her scream was enough to put him on the edge of his patience with these criminals. Anger boiled inside of him, though instead of attacking the man torturing Jazz like he yearned to, he instead threw his own kind of batarang, which he called a Wing-ding, at the power box. It hit, and sparks flew from the box before casting the place in darkness.

Dick activated the night vision in his mask before jumping down to the ground level. He landed in a crouch before straightening up and sprinting in the direction Jasmine was at. There was a large uproar from the False Face Society members, but he ignored them. He had one objective: Save Jasmine and get the hell out. Spotting her, he surged forward, drawing an escrima stick and bashed it against the head of the man who was torturing Jasmine. He cried out then collapsed to the ground. Looking down at him, Dick was tempted to keep attacking him for what he did to Jasmine. However, right now, he needed to get her out of here, and the man was already on the ground. Closing his eyes to calm down for a moment, he then moved over to Jasmine and began to cut her from the bonds.

"I'm getting you out of here." He murmured in her ear gently and he heard her give a deep exhale of what sounded like relief.

"Thank God…" She whispered just as Dick cut through the last bond. As he did, she began to slump forward a bit but he quickly caught her shoulder before helping her up and slung his arm around her waist to support her. While he wanted to check her for any fatalities, there simply was not enough time at the moment. Glancing around, he noted that the henchmen were starting to turn on flashlights, which meant it was time for them to make their exit. Grabbing his line launcher, he shot it up at the ceiling above the guard rail he had been on previously. He held on to Jasmine as they shot up and landed on the platform. Dick didn't take the time to check the surrounding. Instead, he stood up straight while continuing to support Jasmine up then immediately made his way over to the ladder.

"Are you able to go up the ladder?" He asked Jasmine in a hushed but urgent voice.

"Yes, I should be ab-" She began, only to cut off as a click to their left echoed out.

Both Dick and Jasmine looked over at the same moment. With his night vision being activated, Dick could very clearly see the False Face Society member standing there, his pistol pointed directly at him. There was hardly any time to react. Just as the gun went off, Dick stumbled to the side as he was pushed over, and the sound of a body hitting the iron guard rail rang out. At the moment, there was no time to make sense of the situation. Dick raised his right hand, and a dart came out from a device he wore around his wrist. The dart hit the man in the neck, and he crumpled to the ground unconscious before he could make another shot.

Immediately, Dick dropped to his knees beside Jasmine, who had taken the shot for him by pushing him to the side. Instead if finding a bullet embedded in her body, however, it was a syringe. The needle had sunk into her shoulder and he tugged it out from her. There was no way of knowing what had been in the needle. He looked to her face, and was alarmed to see that it was deathly pale. She suddenly began to shiver almost uncontrollably and he felt his heart skip a beat. Poison. This was his fault. He should have reacted sooner, or heard the man coming. There was no telling when this poison could end her life, or if they were already too late. His hands balled into fists and he clenched his teeth, only to feel a light touch against his hand. Looking down, he saw Jasmine's fingertips brushing over his right hand, which clutched the syringe tightly.

"H-Hurry…go…leave me." She gasped out in a hushed voice.

"They're up on the guard rail!" A few voices rang out, and the sound of nearing footsteps soon followed.

"Not a chance." He growled to her lowly, and stashed the syringe away to give to Alfred later.

Reaching out, he moved his arms under her knees and back then rose to his feet as he held her to his chest. He could feel her body trembling in his. He then hoisted her over his shoulder so it would be possible to climb up the ladder, then quickly grabbed the rungs in his hands and started his ascent to the roof. Bullets pinged off of the metal near him as he did, but thankfully none of them hit him by the time he got on top of the roof. Closing the hatch with a loud bang, he ran over to the Batwing. As he raised up the top, he gently set Jasmine in the passenger seat before jogging over to the other side and hopped into the driver's seat. Just as he brought the top of back down, the roof's hatch flung open. Dick darted his eyes to it as he started up the Batwing.

"Are you leaving so soon, Birdie?! The fun was just beginning!" Joker's voice suddenly rang out and Dick cussed under his breath as he saw him come out from the roof's hatch, holding up one of the RPGs. He must have arrived when he had been climbing the ladder.

"Shit," He spat, quickly pulling the Batwing up into the air right as Joker shot the RPG. It missed and hit a building past them, making it crumble and burst into flames. Dick didn't waste any more time to see what happened. He simply jolted the Batwing forwards and flew away from the warehouse with Joker's insane laughter fading away.

"Barbara! Contact Bruce. Joker is at the Sionis warehouse, but there are a lot of False Face Society members inside as well. Jasmine is poisoned, or I would be joining him." He spoke after pressing his finger to his ear.

"Wait, what? Dick, what happened? Are you two-"

"JUST TELL HIM." Dick shouted in response, definitely not in the mood for some kind of argument. Besides, the fastest Bruce got there, the better.

"O-Okay." Barbara responded, and he disconnected their call.

"Th-Thank…you." Jasmine's soft voice breathed before she let out a cough.

Dick glanced over at her and felt his chest tighten. Blood was trailing from her lips and from the sound of it, she didn't sound well. "Don't thank me yet, Jazz."

"Why…why not?" She asked in a fading voice.

"Jasmine. Don't speak. Just focus on keeping up your strength," He said sharply, almost surprised to hear a small tremor in his voice. He then began to call Alfred.

"I'm sorry. I…I should have…stayed." Jasmine murmured and Dick shook his head, about to reply when Alfred picked up.

"Master Dick?"

"Alfred. Jasmine has been injected with poison and tortured. She's in bad shape and-"

"Master Dick, do calm down. I am setting up an operating table as we speak. Just get here as fast as possible, sir." He said seriously, cutting him off.

"Thank you, Alfred."

Dick disconnected the call then glanced over at Jasmine. Her breathing was shallow, but at least she was breathing. He also noticed how she kept tapping her pointer finger, and suspected that was how she was keeping herself focused. As long as she kept up her energy, he didn't care what she did. There was no way he was going to let her die. Not after everything.

The entrance to the Batcave came into view and Dick burst through it before landing where the Batmobile is usually parked. Quickly, he pushed the top of the Batwing up and got out before running over to Jasmine's side. He lifted her from it and held her close to his chest. At that moment, it reminded him of the night she had been accepted. He had gone to her room to see her gazing out the window at the scenery. He recalled how she had been explaining that she had never seen much scenery other than alleyways, and that what she had been seeing then was beautiful. However, he remembered that he hadn't been able to stop looking at her as she was bathed in the moon's silvery light, and all he could think at that moment was how beautiful _she_ was. When they had been speaking, she had ended up hugging him, and he hadn't been able to help but think how frail she felt in his arms. Right now, she felt just as frail, though of course, for a different reason.

Looking over, Dick spotted Alfred standing before a table with medical supplies beside him. He quickly began making his way over to the table, taking her mask off as he walked and simply let it drop to the ground. Glancing down at her, he met her brilliant blue-green eyes, which seemed so vibrant against her deathly pale face. Shadows were still smudged under her eyes from lack of sleep, and along with the cut and bruise on her cheek, there was also a burn mark from where that man had burned her with is lighter.

"I…I'll owe you. A-After this." She whispered then coughed, the action making her whole body seem to shudder. Blood trailed from the right corner of her lips.

"How about those card games we keep saying we'll do?" He spoke, forcing a smile down at her and moved his hand to her cheek, gently using his thumb to wipe away the blood trailing from her lips.

"That sounds…manageable." She responded with a small smile as he set her down onto the table. She limply lied on the table, shaking lightly and breathing rather shallowly.

"You'll be okay." He said to her and he felt her gently squeeze his hand back, though it was weak, hardly anything. He handed the syringe to Alfred, which still had some of the poison still inside of it.

"Madam Jasmine, I am going to operate on you as soon as possible to remove the poison from your blood stream." Alfred spoke and she simply nodded then turned her head to Dick. He met her eyes with his, even though she wouldn't know that since his mask was still in place. As Alfred was quickly testing what the poison was, her eyes slowly began to close.

"Jazz." Dick spoke, an edge to his voice. He felt his heart pounding in his chest, and took in a sharp breath as her hand began to grow limp in his grasp and her eyes shut completely. "Jasmine!" He said almost desperately. She couldn't die. Not after all of this and all she has accomplished. He couldn't fail her like he has been failing Jason.

"Remain calm, Master Dick. She has simply gone unconscious. I think it to be best if you would get cleaned up yourself, sir." Alfred said seriously, glancing at him for a moment just as he got the results.

He nodded slowly, knowing that it would probably be wise to let Alfred do his work without his interruptions. "Of course." He said quietly, only to look over as the Batmobile burst into the cave. Bruce came out, striding over immediately and came to a halt beside Dick.

"Will she live?" He asked Alfred gruffly.

"It is likely she will, Master Bruce, though it may be too early to tell." He answered.

"If she lives, when is the earliest she can return to the streets?" He asked and Dick felt anger swell in him and he sharply turned to him.

"She's dying and the question you ask is when she will return to the streets?!" He asked angrily.

"You heard Alfred, Dick. She is likely to live." Bruce responded calmly and he balled his hands into fists.

"Likely doesn't mean that she will. It isn't safe for her to go out on the streets. They know her phobia of fire, and Joker has a bounty on her head! You can't just send her back out just to get tortured again, and possibly killed!" He said, barely able to contain the anger and coldness in his voice.

Bruce grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the operating table. The two walked to another section of the Batcave, putting Alfred and Jasmine out of view. Bruce then faced him once more, "Jason is still out there, Dick, and she is needed to find him. The streets of Gotham aren't safe for anyone, and all of us have a bounty on our heads. You need to start thinking rationally." He said lowly.

"This is different, Bruce!"

"No, it isn't! Jasmine is capable of fending for herself. If you remember clearly, Dick, you have been tortured and come close to death, and yet it never stopped you from returning to the streets. Jasmine will be the same." He said sharply and Dick grits his teeth, seething quietly.

"This discussion is over. I have information to input and figure out." Bruce growled before turning away and walking off.

Dick stood there for a moment longer, glaring at Bruce's back as he retreated. However, he knew his former mentor to be right, even if it did sound uncaring or harsh. They needed Jasmine on the streets to help find Jason, and no one was safe in Gotham, let alone the Bat Family. Really, he hadn't been thinking rationally. Slowly, he walked back over where Jasmine and Alfred were. His eyes rested on Jazz, and everything began to click into place. That meant…* _Jason. I'm so sorry._ * He walked back over to the operating table and took Jasmine's limp hand into his and kneeled down. He lightly pressed his lips to the back of her hand and closed his eyes.

"Please live, Jasmine." Dick whispered quietly, before letting go of her hand and walking away and towards Bruce, who was sitting in the chair before the Batcomputer.

"What did you figure out?" He asked seriously, noting how Bruce seemed to glance over at him in a studying and cautious kind of way.

"That depends. Are you thinking rationally now?" He asked and Dick sighed slightly before nodding.

"Yes. I'm ready to find Jason."


	14. Chapter 14

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 14

Darkness. The pitch black brought a feeling of numbness. It took away the pain and it took away the guilt and disappointment. For the moment, it was a kind of savior. An escape. Perhaps, this was what it was like to die. Just floating in an endless void, numb, with no thoughts or feelings, or sense of what is happening, but it is peaceful and calm. There aren't any grievances or destruction, but there isn't any joy or happiness either. However, eventually the light comes. It always does. Dark can't be without light, and light without dark. The dark and the light will always find each other eventually, like a destined couple meant to be. While dark takes away, light gives. They are polar opposites, and fit with the other like puzzle pieces. Light and dark. That was what life was, and there was no escaping either of them. So as the light slowly chased away the darkness, the numbness and brought back the thoughts, feelings and the harsh cold truth of reality, it also brought the world back into view.

Jasmine's eyes had opened.

It had been almost blinding, and Jasmine had to squint her eyes a bit before fully opening them. As her vision focused, a small moment of confusion washed over her, wondering exactly where she was. It definitely wasn't her room in one of those three houses. She sat up and leaned back against the bed, gazing around the area for a moment before everything came back to her. She was Batgirl. Her father had Jason. She had been taken and tortured, then took what she believed would have been a bullet for Dick, which ended up being a syringe full of poison. Dick brought her back to the Batcave and Alfred had been working feverishly…then…then…darkness.

The guilt and self-disappointment then hit her on full force and she winced, placing her head in her hands. It had been her fault for getting taken in the first place. If she had just listened to Dick and followed the instructions Bruce gave her, it never would have happened. It had been the fatigue. It slowed her down and made her careless, which was exactly what Dick had warned her about. Then, it was fire. Somehow, the False Face Society had figured out her phobia, and by using it, they were able to knock her unconscious and take her back to some warehouse. Of course, she eventually found out her father had released the information, which came at no surprise to her. In fact, it had been what she assumed anyways.

The whole night had been focused on her mistake, when it should have simply been focused on finding Jason. Not only did she ruin Bruce and Dick's plans for finding the lost boy for that night, but she also damaged their trust and proved to be weak, and weak was the very last thing Jasmine wanted to be along with distrusted. Remembering how she screamed when the fire was pressed to her skin made her grit her teeth in self-hatred. * _Weak. I can't believe I screwed up this badly._ *

Raising her head from her hands, Jasmine gave a soft sigh before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. There was only one thing to do at this point. Get stronger. She would need to train nonstop and prove herself once again that she was capable of handling her own problems. She stood up, only for her left knee to buckle at the searing pain that shot up from her sprained ankle. She had fallen into a crouch, her ankle now feeling as though it was throbbing. Jasmine narrowed her eyes before closing them. The poison must have really drained all of her energy and strength. Even if she did have a high pain tolerance, everyone had their breaking point. Carefully, Jasmine shifted her weight to her right foot and was able to stand up before simply sitting back on the edge of the bed, scanning for her brace since she was still set on training. It was the sound of footsteps that caught her attention, however, and she looked over at the door as it opened. Alfred came inside the room, only to look at her and give a smile.

"Ah, Madam Jasmine. You have finally awoken. You must be terribly famished. Let me get you something to eat." He said, about to turn back. Now that she was made aware of hunger, she began to feel the gnawing in her stomach. She really was ravenous. Before she could really say much of anything, Alfred was already off to get food. Sighing lightly, she continued her sweep of the room to find her brace, which didn't seem to be there.

Having no other choice but to really just lean back and wait for Alfred, Jasmine decided that checking her ankle was a better time now than any. So, pulling her legs up, she carefully looked to the injury. A rather big bruise had already formed, and it was still swollen, which made sense considering the extent of the injury. She wished that it would heal quicker than it was, but she knew that sprains took time. A minor one took about a week or so, but a major could take two weeks and even a month. It was simply a case of bad luck that she had gotten it now of all times. At least with her pain tolerance and brace she was able to maneuver in it and go out into Gotham, even if it limited her movement by a little.

"Here you are, Madam Jasmine." Alfred said as he returned with a tray of pancakes and water. The aroma of the pancakes were intoxicating, and Jasmine felt a painful pang in her stomach, as if it were impatient to obtain the food.

"Thank you, Alfred." She said, sitting and up and taking the tray, though she wished that she could have simply just walked down to the kitchen to eat. It felt odd for her to eat in bed. However, she was much too hungry to think too much about it, and simply cut of a piece of a pancake and ate it, closing her eyes in bliss at the taste.

"These are amazing." She breathed before taking another bite, only to hear Alfred chuckle softly.

"I am glad to know they are to your liking, Madam." He responded and she smiled lightly.

"So…how long have I been asleep? Not too much more than a few hours, right?" She asked, looking up at Alfred before taking another bite. He seemed rather…nervous before answering, making Jasmine frown in question.

"Well, not exactly a few hours. You've been unconscious for three days, Madam Jasmine." Alfred said slowly and she froze just as she began to cut another piece.

"Three days?! But that's…how would…" She exclaimed, slowly trailing off in her disbelief with her eyes wide. Surely her injuries hadn't been _that_ bad! There was no way she could have been out for three days.

"Yes. You almost died, Madam. Not only that, but the poison took a toll on your body along with the torture you endured. If you remember, you also had not slept the night before, putting you into fatigue. It is no wonder that you have been out for three days." He said to her calmly and she was silent for a moment, still shocked that she had slept for 72 hours. So much could happen in three days, and she missed all of it. Setting the tray aside, she then swung her legs over the side, about to stand up.

"Madam Jasmine, lie back down this instant! You need to regain your strength, not overwork yourself." Alfred said strictly and she paused for a moment.

"Alfred, I've been out three days. With Jason gone, that is three days too many. I need to catch up on everything and get back to working." She responded, only for Alfred to stand in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest stubbornly.

"Master Dick and Master Bruce can take care of things while you are resting. Master Jason wouldn't want you to work yourself to death, now would he?" He said firmly and Jasmine sighed, glancing at the stubborn butler for a moment before reluctantly shifting back into bed and picking up the tray once more to eat.

"Alright Alfred. You win. At least tell me what Bruce and Dick have figured out though." She sighed, finishing up the first pancake then moving onto the next.

"Not much, Madam Jasmine. Every lead they have had led them on wild goose chases. They found…: He trailed off and she fixed her eyes on him seriously.

"Found what?"

Alfred took a deep breath before he met her eyes and speaking, "A disc that contained a video of the Joker torturing Master Jason."

Jasmine gripped the fork in her hand tightly and her other balled into a fist. "Let me see the video. I may be able to pinpoint its location." She said lowly and Alfred shook his head.

"Master Bruce and Master Dick were able to trace the video to a certain location, but by the time they got there, it was abandoned once again." He said sadly and she closed her eyes. They were getting nowhere on this case, and Jason was still out there with her sadistic father.

Jasmine lapsed into silence then, eating the pancakes quickly so she could get started with her day. There wasn't any more time to waste. Too much of it has already been taken away, and with the clock still ticking, every second was precious. Alfred left at some point as she had been eating, though since she hadn't been paying too much attention to her surroundings due to being focused on eating the food quickly, she couldn't exactly say when the butler made his exit, or why he did. Just as she was finishing her last pancake, the smallest sound of a footstep caught her attention and she glanced up, seeing Bruce standing in the doorway. His blue eyes were mostly unreadable, and while she thought she saw a hint of relief in his eyes, it was gone before she could really decipher it. His lips were set in a thin line and everything about him was serious.

At his presence, Jasmine couldn't bear to meet his eyes. She lowered hers down, ashamed at her actions three days before. She had probably been an embarrassment, and she wouldn't be surprised if he was here to tell her that she could no longer be Batgirl for now and they would need to continue training her in the fundamentals once again. She had been so easily taken. All it took was a bit of fire. Really, the night had started off rather well. She had been on a roof, eavesdropping on a group of the Black Mask's men and Joker's men. When she had decided that the men had nothing important to say, she had stood up, and that lightheadedness washed over her like in her fight with Dick. It had made her unsteady, and she had shuffled to the side to lean against a wall. However, this small shuffle had been enough to catch their attention. It had been lucky that the lightheadedness left her as they began to come forwards, and she spun on her heels, about to run off, only to stop as a larger man stood before her with a wide smile, only to hold up a lighter and some kind of spray bottle. At the time, it had been too dark to see just exactly what it was that the metal bottle contained. In one fast movement, he switched the lighter on then sprayed the contents of the bottle, creating a makeshift flamethrower. The fire had been aimed directly at Jasmine, who had staggered back in horror, a scream caught in her throat. The heat of it brought back bad memories of the fire from her childhood, like the way the smoke tore at her throat and burned her lungs, how the fire slowly burned her skin in a torturous manner and the way it flickered in a sadistic kind of glee as it spread in its never-ending hunger for destruction. It just so happened that with the inclusion of the fire, she had completely forgotten about the men behind her, who she had backed into, and had been knocked out before awakening in the Sionis warehouse, strapped to a chair. The man torturing her had been trying to get Batman and Nightwing's identity from her, but there was obviously no way she was going to tell them that. The man had used a series of torturing techniques, like beating and slow cuts with a knife to taking her hand and holding it about a lighter until her palm burned. He included the fire the most, and after a short while, she hadn't been able to hold back her screams. She would remain silent on the other injuries, but she hadn't been able to handle the fire.

"How are you?"

Bruce's voice pulled Jasmine out from her memories of last night, and she slowly raised her eyes, though didn't make eye contact with him, "I'm fine," She responded in a soft voice, coming to the conclusion that Alfred had left to inform Bruce of her awakening.

"Good, because you are going to have training today at twelve sharp. I expect to see you down no later." He said firmly and she nodded.

"Of course," Jasmine responded. So it was as she had assumed. She lost her title until she had further training. The loss of what she had worked so hard for felt like a twisting knife in her stomach. As Bruce turned to leave, a question occurred to her, "Bruce, where is Dick?"

Bruce paused and looked at her from over his shoulder, surprised to see him giving a light smile, since it was rare to see him smile with regular circumstances and it was almost nonexistent ever since Jason has been taken, "In his room. He's hardly been able to sleep, so I ordered him to get some rest so he won't be too tired when tonight comes around." He said, his tone of voice telling her that there was deeper meaning behind what he said. Jasmine winced slightly, having gotten the message right away. She had disobeyed his orders by going out that night three days ago instead of resting, and the night had ended in disaster for her. She should have listened and done as she was told instead of acting on her own accord.

"Right…sorry." She said, looking down, only to hear him sigh slightly before turning and walking over to her. She was surprised to feel his hand rest on her shoulder and she looked up at him, meeting his somber blue eyes.

"Jasmine, I understand why you disobeyed my orders. If I had been you, I probably would have done the same. We are on an unknown time limit, and any minute or second could be the deadline to save Jason. However, everyone still has their limits, including you. You can't ignore your own needs, because if you are dead or put out of commission, then you won't be able to help Jason at all. In times like these, I need you to follow my orders so I don't have to worry about you as well." He said to her, his tone serious but also soft.

Jasmine looked to him after he spoke and she smiled to him, "I understand, Bruce."

Bruce removed his hand then turned on his heels and walked back to the door, he glanced back at her from over his shoulder for a moment once again, "Don't forget. 12 sharp. Ah yes, and Dick is probably awake. He's been staying at your side constantly the past three days despite my orders for him to rest. You're not the only rebellious one, Jasmine." He said before facing forwards and walking out the door silently.

Jasmine glanced at the clock to check the time, which was 11:00 exactly, then watched him go, surprised at his comment about Dick. Had he really stayed at her side that much? This question soon left her mind, however, and she lightly smiled at the comment he had made about her not being the only rebellious one. Yes, Bruce wasn't exactly the most emotional person, but he had a good heart, and it was evident that he honestly cared about the Bat Family. She truly understood how both Dick and Jason looked up to him as a father figure, and it wasn't just because the two of them were younger when Bruce had been placed into their lives. Bruce Wayne was simply a respectable man, and he was easy to look up to. Jasmine could feel the beginning of a similar adoration for the man herself. Joker had been a father figure to her when she was much younger. That is, before Risuka had stepped into her life and changed everything. It was almost ironic how the second person she saw in such a way was Bruce, considering he was Batman.

Setting the now empty tray aside, Jasmine swung her legs over the bed and stood up, making sure to keep her weight focused on her right foot. She then hopped around the room, looking everywhere for her missing brace. It was then that Alfred returned, watching as she hopped to and fro with a small chuckle, only to hold the brace up.

"Are you looking for this, Madam?" He asked and Jasmine looked over and blushed faintly in embarrassment before laughing slightly.

"Yeah, that would be it," She said as Alfred walked over and handed it to her, "Thank you, Alfred."

"Not a problem, Madam Jasmine." He replied in a chipper voice, watching as she strapped the brace onto her left foot before bowing formally and leaving.

Jasmine stood up straight then glanced down at herself. She was still in her Batgirl suit, and the realization that she hadn't taken a shower in three days made her wrinkle her nose before pulling out an arrangement of clothes and heading to the bathroom, silently thanking whoever it was who created the brace that was now relieving the pain from her sprained ankle as she walked. Turning on the shower, she brushed her teeth and undressed in her wait for the water to heat up before stepping in. The water washed over her, and she winced slightly, feeling the small burns on her body react to the heat, though the pain vanished rather quickly, allowing her to enjoy the warmth of the water. As she lathered shampoo into her hair then conditioner, she pondered what Bruce would be training her on. Despite her earlier assumption, she now did not believe he had taken her down from the mantle of Batgirl based off of what he had said to her earlier, considering he had said that he probably would have done the same thing. Of course, Jasmine also understood that even though she has taken the mantle, it didn't mean that she never had to train again. She still had much to learn. For all the girl knew, it was going to just be a regular training session.

Turning the shower off, Jasmine stepped out and dried off before using the towel to wring the water out of her hair so it was simply damp instead of dripping wet. Then, she pulled her clothes and brace on before glancing at herself in a mirror for a moment. She had dressed in clothes that she could wear to training, since there wasn't much of a point in putting on one thing only to take it off an hour afterwards. The pants were black and rather skin tight, since it was supposed to resemble her Batgirl suit. However, her shirt was an athletic red tank top that, while more free flowing than the pants, would still allow her to move quickly without holding her back.

Before leaving her room, Jasmine ran a brush through her slightly wet hair before walking out. At the moment, she had two options. See if Bruce's assumption of Dick being awake was correct, or head down to train early. At first, the question seemed obvious. Of course training would be the number one priority. After three days off, she wouldn't be in her best physical condition, well, best physical condition with a healing sprained ankle. However, as she passed Dick's room, she paused and looked over at it. The last recollection she had of him was when he was holding her hand and said her name. Then everything went dark. If what Bruce said about Dick staying beside her as she was unconscious was true, then he deserved to know that she was awake. Besides, she couldn't help but feel the want to see the boy.

Stepping up, Jasmine knocked on the door three times and waited for it to be answered. When no one did, and a single sound wasn't even heard on the other end, she contemplated leaving. Perhaps he wasn't there. However, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to look and quietly opened his door and stepping into the room. Dick's room was clean, as it always was whenever she saw it. It was well taken care of, and hardly anything seemed out of place. Everything was put in order or organized in neat stacks. The only messy side of his room was where a thumbtack board was hanging up, containing lines connecting to certain places and people. Some of these clues had 'x's drawn on them, showing they were incorrect. In the middle of all of it was a picture of Jason. Next to the board was a cluttered desk, which had files and quickly scrawled notes across it. In the center of it all was Dick, who was sitting in the chair before the desk. He was clearly asleep, a pencil resting unmoving in his right hand and his head placed on top of his left arm. The position of the way he was sleeping told Jasmine that he had not meant to fall asleep, but had been gripped by exhaustion to a point where he had unintentionally dozed off.

Quietly walking over, Jasmine took a smaller blanket from his bed and rested it over his shoulders. Glancing to his face, she couldn't help but note the peaceful look he had as he slept, as though nothing was wrong or worrying him. She wished that she could take him from the chair and to his bed, since sleeping in such a position would probably be uncomfortable, especially when waking up, but she simply just wasn't strong enough to, and would rather not wake him. It was evident that he needed this rest. So, Jasmine turned and began to walk to the door, making her sure footfalls were light and barely audible. Just as she reached it and was about to head out, her wrist was grabbed gently. Blinking in surprise, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Dick standing there. She hadn't even heard him wake up, let alone stand and walk over to her.

"I'm sorry I wok-" She began, only to cut off as he tugged her to him. Her eyes widened as she was pulled to his chest, her hands resting upon it, and felt his arms come around her tightly. She could feel the quickening of his heart beneath her fingertips and the almost shaky intake of his breathes. One of his hands rested on the small of her back, holding her close to him, and his other hand was rested lightly on the back of her head. She could feel his fingers playing with her hair slightly.

"Dick?" She breathed softly in question. He was silent for a moment and she lifted her eyes up to him, surprised to meet his blue-gray gaze, and found that she couldn't look away from him.

"I thought that you were going to die." He said quietly, moving his hand from her hair and gently rested it against her uninjured cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone lightly. Jasmine caught her breath lightly at his light touch, getting distracted by it and their closeness for a moment before giving him a light smile.

"Me? Die? C'mon Dick, we both know that isn't going to happen any time soon." She said lightheartedly, and was relieved to see a smile curving on his lips.

"Way to ruin the moment, Quinn." He chuckled, moving his hand away from her cheek and rested it on her waist.

"I try." Jasmine smiled teasingly in response before becoming more serious. "You should get some rest. I heard that you haven't slept all that much."

"I haven't been able to sleep and I haven't had the time to. There are simply too many things to worry about and too many things to accomplish and consider." He sighed lightly before looking to her in what seemed to be amusement, "Looks like we have switched sides, huh?"

"So it seems." Jasmine said with a small laugh before looking up at him, her blue-green eyes troubled, "I'm so sorry for not listening to your advice, Dick. You were completely right, and I shouldn't have gone out. I should have rested, and because I didn't, I caused unneeded distress and worry." She said, lowering her eyes, only or Dick to gently tilt her head back up to meet his serious eyes.

"Hey. There is no need to beat yourself over what has already been done. What happened to you happens to the best of us, including me. All that matters is that you are safe and alive." He said in a gentle tone.

"But-"

"It doesn't matter what you think you did wrong, Jasmine. In the end, what's truly important is that you are alive and here with me, Alfred and Bruce. There is something I have recognized about you. You put other people and things before your own life, and while this is a good quality, it is only good to an extent. Jasmine, your life is just as precious and valuable as mine, Bruce's, Jason's, Alfred's…anyone's!" He said firmly and she parted her lips for a moment, at a loss of words before frowning slightly. The thing was, he was entirely right, and she hadn't expected him to figure it out.

"Dick, I'm the daughter of Joker and Harley Quinn. They have taken so many innocent lives, and two of those taken were _my_ fault. Mine. If my life were to be taken, then it would be justified. My life isn't as precious or valuable as other people. It's expendable and corrupt, so in the end, if I were to die, it wouldn't be as drastic as you, Bruce or Jason dying," She said evenly and she felt his muscles seem to stiffen slightly, making her meet his eyes curiously, only to be startled to see his blue-gray eyes blazing intensely.

"I'm going to be completely honest with you. I don't care what you have done in your past, and I sure as hell don't care who your parents are. You aren't defined by what _your_ parents have decided to do with _their_ lives. What defines you is what you decide to do with your life _now_. You, Jasmine Quinn, are Batgirl. You help the innocent people of Gotham and you have decided not to be like your parents. Those two lives. Did you kill them? Were you the one who stole their lives?" He asked fiercely.

"Well, not exactly.-"

"And how old were you when they happened?"

"Five and fifteen."

"Then it was _n_ ot _your fault._ Not only were you not the one who took their lives, but you were a kid. So stop blaming yourself for their deaths." He said to her strictly and she stared up at him, speechless. How was it that he believed in her like this so strongly? How was it that he was always able to tell her the complete opposite of what she has told herself for years with complete confidence?

"I don't get how you understand me like this." She whispered and he gazed into her eyes, leaving her trapped under his stormy blue-gray eyes.

"It's because I know you, Jasmine. I don't need your backstory to fully understand your thought process. All I need to know is who you are." He said to her softly and leaned closer to her, "You put yourself down constantly, and you think the purpose in your life is to redeem your parents' sins and your own. You haven't even considered the possibility that you are more important than just a weapon, because you have been treated like one your whole life. But you are. You're important to me, Jasmine," He said, cupping her face in his hands gently, "When I thought you were going to die…I couldn't stand the thought of losing you. You walked into my thoughts and my life the very first day we met, and you haven't left once. God, it's so wrong for me to think about you constantly when Jason is still missing, but it's true. These past three days, I was constantly thinking about you and what would happen if you never opened those bright eyes of yours. What I would do if you didn't. Jasmine, please don't underestimate your value and think that your death is justified, because if you died…" He trailed off with that, and Jasmine became aware that their faces were rather close. Her heart was racing and she could feel an almost lightness in her chest. The small feeling off something trailing down her cheek caught her attention, and she realized that it was a tear. She wasn't used to crying but what he said…it stunned her, and it also filled her with an indescribable happiness that seemed to fill her very being. It was overwhelming, and while Jasmine typically wasn't emotional, this time, she was.

* _What is this?_ * She thought to herself. It wasn't a bad feeling, it was just…odd. New. Of course, she has felt it before, but never at this intensity. What was it? What did it mean, and why was it that she only experienced it around Dick?

"I won't die." She whispered, feeling his thumbs brush away her tears and she gazed into his eyes and smiled with genuine warmth and…something else. She didn't know what the emotion was, but it made a gentleness fill her, "I think I've found another purpose."

Dick's eyes softened and he smiled at her. They stood there, gazing into each other's eyes. Jasmine's heart was pounding inside her chest, and she was so sure that he could hear it. Their faces were close to the other and as Dick leaned forward a bit, Jasmine slowly drew out of his arms, feeling her cheeks burning and that uneven pounding of her heart. It felt so unnatural. What if something was wrong with her? Not only that, but why had he been leaning forward? Her mind was spinning with questions and she glanced at a clock, her eyes widening when she realized it was 11:55.

"I-I have to go. Train, I mean. I have to go train." She said hurriedly, stumbling over her words in a rush from how flustered she was at the moment. Dick regarded her with an almost amused light in his eyes and nodded.

"Alright. I'll see you later then, Jazz." He said, lifting a hand to her in farewell and she offered a small smile in return before turning around and walking out of his room.

As Jasmine closed the door behind her, she pressed a hand to her heart, feeling it starting to slow a bit and breathed out in relief, though that almost fuzzy feeling inside of her was still lingering. There wasn't much she could do about the confusing emotions at the moment or else she would be late, so she took off at a jog down the hallways until she reached the secret entrance to the Batcave and quickly took it down. She shifted from foot to foot impatiently as the elevator descended down to the caves. When it finally opened she jogged out and to the training area, where Bruce was already waiting. At her arrival, he checked his watch before looking up at her.

"You made it exactly on time. Good." He said and she breathed out in relief. Tardiness was dealt with one hundred push ups and fifteen laps…around the Batcave, not just the training area. Then, she noticed his hand go to his waist and she quickly moved onto the balls of her feet, ready to dodge and possibly catch batarang or something. However, instead he casually tossed a lighter at her. As it lazily came towards her, she stepped away from it warily, letting it hit the ground and slide over where it rested just at her feet.

"Well, since you didn't catch that, go ahead and pick it up." Bruce ordered and she glanced at him for a moment, those his eyes and face were impossible to read. However, even though she didn't want to, she slowly bent down and picked the lighter up, feeling almost sick to her stomach at the coldness of the metal pressed to the palm of her hand.

"Good. Now turn it on." Bruce said and her eyes snapped to his.

"Bruce, I can't-"

"Turn it on, Jasmine." He said strictly and slowly.

Swallowing hard, Jasmine glanced down at the lighter and moved her thumb up to the switch, this time her heart racing in fear. She hesitated before pressing it, but finally did. As the orange flame burst from the top, she instantly dropped it, letting the lighter clatter to the ground. Her breathes were shaky and she closed her eyes to calm herself down.

"Again. This time, hold it longer." Bruce called and she slowly opened her eyes, glancing at him. He was trying to break her phobia. Or at least, teach her how to contain it. Risuka had already tried to do this and failed, and Jasmine simply saw it as futile.

"I can't do this, Bruce. I've already tried to conquer my phobia before, and it didn't come close to succeeding." She said and he narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, you can, and you will, because this fear of yours is going to get you killed. I'm not going to let you return to the streets until you learn how to suppress it. So if you want to continue being Batgirl, then you'll listen to my instruction," He said sharply and she gritted her teeth before bending down once again and picking up the lighter. Holding it away from her, she reluctantly pressed the switch, making the flame spring from the top. Her hand shook as she held the lighter, making the little flame flicker to and fro, but she held onto it like her life depended on it despite her instant mental response in wanting to throw it away from her as far as she could.

"Good. Now bring it closer."

Jasmine looked at him, her eyes desperate for him to take back his order and train her in fighting, or…anything but this. However, his face remained unchanging and his eyes set seriously. So, focusing her attention back on the lighter, she slowly bent her elbow, bringing the light just a tad bit closer to her, though not by much.

"Closer."

* _This is going to be impossible._ * She thought to herself in distress, but this time brought it much closer to her so that it was only about a foot away from her chest. She could feel herself start to tremble at how near the flame was and had to clench her other hand into a fist to keep it from shaking. Her heart was racing in fear, but she continued to hold strong.

"I want you to bring it up to your face." Bruce called once more.

Disbelief filtered through Jasmine. To her face? * _I have to…I need to remain Batgirl…it's only a few inches and then I'm done._ * She thought to herself, breathing shakily as she slowly moved the lighter closer to her face. Her hand clenching the lighter was shaking terribly, and each small movement that brought the little fire closer allowed her to feel the heat coming from it and the small trail of smoke expelling from the top. She could feel it getting harder to breath and was only able to get it a little bit closer before she just couldn't do it anymore. She let the lighter clatter to the ground and rested head in her hands, trying to calm down and breathe normally. Her whole body was trembling and she could feel tears of frustration prick at her eyes. * _I'm so pathetic. I can't even hold a damn lighter._ *

"Try it again."

"I can't do that again!" She exclaimed, losing hope in ever being able to accomplish this. She then glanced up at the sound of his footsteps.

"Fine. Then I'll do it for you." He said, leaning down and picking up the lighter. Jasmine took a small step away from him.

"Please don't do this." She whispered and Bruce sighed as he straightened up and met her eyes.

"You need to learn how to control this, Jasmine. I'm not doing this to punish or torture you. I'm doing this to help you."

Jasmine knew that Bruce was telling the truth. Taking a shaky breath, she stood in place as Bruce walked up to her, pressing down on the lighter's switch and making a flame come out on top. Once again, she felt her hands begin to tremble and as Bruce came closer to her with that little flame, she could feel it getting almost hard to breathe with the remembrance of smoke filling her lungs taking effect. By instinct, she started to back away and Bruce's hands snatched out, catching her wrist and stopping her from backing up.

"No. You need to face this." He said sharply, bringing the flame so close that she could feel the small heat it expelled on her face.

Through the orange of the flame, it seemed as though her sight warped, and instead of Bruce, she saw the grinning face of her father. Around that, the edges of her vision were red, as though she herself was stuck in a fire. It felt as though smoke had filled her chest, and her breathes came out short and fast. Then, her father's voice echoed in her ears. _What can I say? She's Daddy's little girl_ and a gunshot rang in her ears, making her eyes fill with tears.

"NO!" She screamed, losing rationality and bursting quickly into action. Using her right forearm, she pushed Bruce's arm away, moving the fire to the side. Immediately after moving his arm back, she lunged forward, swinging her left arm, her dominant one, in a punch, her small flashback still lingering in her mind.

Everything then happened very quickly. Bruce moved in what seemed to be a blur, easily dodging her punch and pushed his hand against her back, making her fall to the ground on her hands and knees. She breathed heavily, her head ducked, casting her eyes in shadow, and body trembling faintly. Slowly, her mind began to clear and she squeezed her eyes shut. She struck out against Bruce. Even if he hadn't gotten hit, she still failed. Not only wasn't she able to face her fear, but she completely broke down. Opening her eyes, she stared down at the ground, only to hear light footsteps coming around to her front.

"Your fear of fire. There is a deeper part of it, isn't there? It isn't focused only on the fire." Bruce said lowly and she slowly looked up at him. His face was expressionless, but he didn't seem to be angry or even really disappointed.

"…yes." She whispered.

"You're scared of becoming what your parents raised you to be. Am I right?" He spoke and she was silent for a moment.

"Every single day." She said quietly.

"Fire. Fire taps into this fear because of what happened that night you were caught in that fire and Joker killed the police officer." Bruce mused and she nodded slowly.

"Yes, but it was my words that lead to his death. I smiled that day. I was becoming their perfect creation. To be like that in any way…I would rather be burned than to be that again." She said lowly and fiercely.

"Joker would have killed him whether you said something or not, Jasmine." Bruce said and she shook her head fiercely.

"That's not the point, and you know it!"

"You were a five year old who had not been exposed to anyone but your parents. You were taught that evil deeds and killing was ethical. Anyone else in your shoes at that age would have done the same. You need to forgive yourself for what happened fourteen years ago if you ever want to conquer this fear of fire you have," Bruce spoke to her evenly and slowly stood up, "We're done with training today. Get some rest." He said, and then walked off without another word.

Jasmine didn't move. She stayed there on her hands and knees for a few moments before slowly sitting up, gazing expressionlessly at the wall ahead of her. He said something along the lines of what Dick has told her. Like mentor like apprentice, she supposed. How could either of them understand? They didn't go through what she did. At the moment, she was still a disappointment. A failure, because in the long run, she couldn't just forgive herself for what had happened. According to Bruce theory, she won't be able to beat this phobia of fire unless she does, which means that she's screwed. It was a good run, trying to be good, but in the end, fate once again denied it to her. Glancing over at the lighter, anger filled her and she reached out and snatched it, her frustration overpowering the wariness that usually came when near a lighter, and threw it against the wall, as though it would solve all of her problems. Of course, it didn't, and the lighter simply bounced off and clattered to the ground and few times before lying still.

"Maybe I can help."

Jasmine slowly looked over and saw Dick. She glanced away and ducked her head before shaking it, "No. It would be a useless effort." She said and he sighed she heard him walk over, but simply just stayed where she was.

"I heard what happened. Bruce is right about one thing. You do need to forgive yourself. However, I don't think it is the only way that fear of yours can be suppressed. It would be the most effective way, sure, but I have another idea, if you would let me try it." He said, bending down and picking up the lighter.

"If you heard what happened, then you should know this is a waste of time. If you honestly think that your idea is going to work, then be my guest, but don't be surprised when it doesn't pull through." She said bitterly, only to hear him chuckle.

"Come on, Jazz. Have a little confidence in me." He said as he walked up to her.

I'm simply being realistic." She said lowly and he shook his head.

"No. You're acting hopeless," He began then wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest, making her eyes widen in surprise and look up at his calm and confident gaze, "There is a difference."

"Dick. What are you doing?" She asked, her body stiffening as she heard the click of the lighter's switch being used. Her eyes darted to the side, seeing the flame close to the side of her face. That fear entered her again, and she tried to pull out of his arm.

"Hey, Jasmine, I want you to look at me. Only me, that's all, okay?" He said sharply, making Jasmine snap her eyes back to his. She looked into his eyes and nodded only slightly. However, she was all too aware that he was moving the lighter closer and closer to her. She could feel the small outburst of heat getting hotter and hotter with each passing second.

* _I'm going to snap again if he keeps going_.* She panicked in her head and began to push against his chest, "Stop. Let me go!"

"No, Jasmine. Look at me. Don't look at the lighter." He ordered and she swallowed hard and slowly met his eyes again.

As he brought the lighter closer, she started struggling once again. However, before she could utter a single word, Dick's lips pressed against her own in a soft and sweet kiss. At this movement, her mind went entirely blank. It was as though the fire near her didn't exist. She didn't even notice it as Dick moved it right beside her cheek to a point that if it moved any further, it would burn her. Fear was soon replaced by that confusing feeling that washed over every inch of her, and her heart began to drum loudly inside of her chest. At the same time, she also felt light, and could barely think.

When Dick pulled back from the kiss, Jasmine's thoughts all exploded inside of her head at once. What happened between them there _definitely_ wasn't something that friends typically do. Didn't Dick think of her as a friend? He always said that he did, but after that…her thoughts drifted back to their earlier conversation and her cheeks burned. Had he almost kissed her there as well? All these unknown emotions were so overwhelming, and Jasmine didn't understand what they meant. She staggered back from Dick, who was gazing at her in what seemed like concern.

"Jasmine…are you okay?" He asked and she snapped her eyes to his, only to feel her cheeks burning again, which made her instantly avert her gaze.

"Y-Yes, just…uhm…I need to…upstairs and rest." She stuttered, her sentences broken up, which only furthered her embarrassment. With that, Jasmine spun on her heels and ran off to the elevator so she could go to her room and be alone. She needed to elaborate on what just happened, and finally figure out what these emotions meant that she always had around Dick.

In the midst of her raging thoughts, Jasmine failed to notice that she hadn't even shied away from the lighter when it was right beside her cheek. In fact, she hadn't even registered its heat, or reacted to it in fear.


	15. Chapter 15

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 15

* _Maybe my actions had been wrong.*_ Dick thought to himself with a light sigh, watching as Jasmine fled from the Batcave.

The day before, he had watched as Bruce tried to train her to overcome her fear. However, Jasmine showed little to no improvement in vanquishing it, and even struck out against him. Of course, Bruce had been able to block the attack, but both of them learned something about Jasmine at that time. Nothing was ever simple when it came to the girl. Something always had some kind of deeper meaning. However, Dick also believed that not every single thing was complicated. Jasmine was, after all, still a regular girl in many aspects, even if she had what someone would call a messed up life. If she could make a connection to fire that was positive, it could help in cancelling the negative connection. So, when Bruce left, that was exactly what Dick had in mind.

Now, Dick hadn't exactly planned to kiss her. That was more of a spur of the moment. However, he had believed at the time that associated himself with fire may result in calming her down. It had only worked slightly, but with her cracking confidence, she hadn't tried as hard to push back that rising fear he could see starting to overwhelm her. So, he had leaned forward and kissed her. He wouldn't deny that he hadn't wanted to kiss the girl. In fact, he almost had earlier that day in his room, but she pulled back before he did and walked out. While perhaps it was a little arrogant or cocky to think so, Dick was rather positive that the feelings he had for Jasmine were mutual. The way that she blushed and stuttered at times around him was a sure sign, and he could always feel how her heart raced when they were close.

Dick pushed his hands into his pockets and let out a deep exhale that slowly became a light smile. His gray-blue eyes became a little softer as his gaze continued to be directed towards the direction Jasmine had left. When he saw her after he woke up, it had seemed like a dream. It had been three days without a response from her. A part of him had known that she would wake up at some point, but another side said that perhaps she never would, and simply remain in her coma. So seeing her in that moment, up and walking, he had almost been unable to believe what he saw. Of course, he had gotten up and caught her wrist, his heart having soared when it truly was her standing before him and not some dream or a figment of his fatigued imagination. At that time, Dick had wanted nothing more than to hold her to his chest and kiss her. That night she had been poisoned, he had thought she was going to die. He would have lost not only his brother, but also the woman he had genuine feelings for.

"Is the young miss still fleeing from you, Master Dick?" Alfred's voice rang out and Dick looked over at the butler who was standing off to the side.

"So it seems." He said with a light chuckle.

"Perhaps you could have expressed your strong feelings for her in a different manner, sir." Alfred spoke and Dick looked to the butler and sighed.

"I was just thinking that." He said before exhaling, "Do you think she will return my affection?" He asked, walking with the butler as the two men made their way back up to the manor.

"Why, Master Dick, I believe she has had affection for you for quite some time now. I would be shocked if she didn't." He answered, and Dick looked to him in faint surprise.

"Is that so?"

"Of course. Of all people, I thought that you would have recognized it, Master Dick, considering all the women you seem to have taken a liking to over the years. It seems that Master Jason, and even Master Bruce, were able to see it before you." He stated the amusement in his voice all too evident.

Dick grinned at what Alfred said, rubbing the back of his neck slightly, "Even the Old Man? Damn, that's rather embarrassing, isn't it?"

"Language, Master Dick," Alfred scolded lightly before continuing on, "I wouldn't be too fast in writing off Master Bruce's observation skills." Alfred pointed out and Dick smirked.

"Oh, there is nothing wrong with Bruce's observation skills. Just his, you know, human skills." Dick said lightly.

"So I have a lack of human skills, huh?"

Dick and Alfred looked behind them to see Bruce himself and the butler cleared his throat and straightened up while Dick simply snickered lightly, "I believe that's what I said." Bruce's lips curved slightly at the ends, though he simply clasped his hands behind his back and became serious once more.

"Despite its unprofessional execution, do you believe that method you used on Jasmine should suppress her fear?" He asked, walking up to Dick's side. At the moment, they were by the elevator that led up to the manor, but the two men continued walking past it and Alfred left, seeming to have sensed that the discussion would be of the present matters at hand. If Dick had to guess, he was probably going to check up on Jasmine as well.

"Oh, at least give me a little credit, Bruce. It started out being more logical and professional in my mind. It just didn't turn out that way," He began with a light smirk and Bruce sighed lightly, seeming to want him to get on with the point, "Honestly, it was your fault it became unprofessional." Dick said lightly and Bruce glanced at him more questioningly than anything.

"How is that?" He asked gruffly and Dick sighed then glanced at Bruce in slight exasperation.

"Jasmine is a perfectionist. That you already know. At least, I hope you do. The thing is that she links her successes with her future. When she fails at something that is vital, she beats herself up mentally, even if she had only been a young child when this mistake happened. If my speculation in correct, Jasmine lost all hope in being able to overcome her fear because you linked forgiving herself to the action of it being vanquished. At the moment, she hasn't found the ability to forgive herself just yet." He explained and Bruce squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"Her mental stability is-" Bruce began and Dick looked ahead, his gaze hardening.

"Unpredictable and flawed," Dick finished lowly, "Then again, I don't think either of us expected it to be sound." He said, glancing at Bruce from the corner of his eyes.

Bruce met his eyes for a moment, a small connecting kind of glance that spoke all the unsaid words for them. Both of the men looked forward at the same time, "Yes, you're right about that. So, your method was to connect fire with a good memory, correct?" Bruce said, pulling away from the last subject.

"That's right. It wouldn't exactly take away her fear, but I was hoping for it to at least be suppressed enough that fire won't end up being fatal to her when on the streets. I agree that for Jasmine to really overcome it, she'll have to forgive herself for something that happened so long ago, but at the moment, this should be effective enough." He said seriously and Bruce nodded slightly.

"Good job." He said and Dick looked at him in mock amazement.

"What was that? Did you actually just praise me for my actions?"

"Don't push it."

Dick smiled lightly before it died out, "Is there any more information on Jason?"

"Other than that second video, no."

"Have we checked every known building?" Dick asked, clenching his hands into fists.

"Yes, and placed small cameras in them too. Joker has that new Black Mask under his thumb, and there is no saying what other buildings that gang has taken control of. Every criminal I interrogate either doesn't say anything of importance, or is killed when about to." Bruce said darkly.

"And Gordon?"

"Is doing all that he can do, but suspicions of the police are rising about whether I'm the one killing those criminals. As of right now, there isn't any evidence that points to the murderer being anyone but me. Even if Gordon trusts me, he still needs to react the way the Commissioner should."

"So in other words, we're not any closer to finding Jason than we were the first day he was taken, but now the police may or may not arrest you on sight." Dick said in aggravation. Bruce remained silent as a response and crossed his arms over his chest as he came to a stop. Dick halted beside him and looked over to the older man.

"Tonight, I want you to take Jasmine to the three houses her parents kept her in." He said and alarm rose in Dick for a moment before he slowly nodded. Even if Jasmine never wanted to see those places again, let alone be in them, they could contain Jason or information leading back to him.

"Alright," He nodded.

Both he and Bruce have held off looking in the places because they seemed too, well, obvious. Joker knew Jasmine joined them as Batgirl considering he had revealed her fear so she could be easily contained by his henchmen. The places use to be hidden, but surely the sadistic psychopath knew that his daughter would reveal their position. Typically, these places would have been searched first, but knowing Joker, he would want this to be some big event, not an easy game of hide and seek.

"Good. I'll be back on the streets to get information." Bruce spoke before walking towards the Batcomputer. As he turned it on, the second footage of Jason being tortured instantly popped up. Joker's insane voice filled the cave followed by Jason's rough and hoarse voice, followed by agonized cries of pain. Bruce sat in the chair and folded his hands in front of him, setting his chin on them as he glared at the footage.

Dick had seen the video dozens of times already, trying to pinpoint something that would give away the location. He had found nothing, and every time he saw it, it was like opening up a wound every time. Even now, he felt his chest tighten with each sound of the crowbar hitting his little brother. His body seemed to tremble in rage with each agonized sound and sadistic laugh that rang out and echoed through the cave.

Closing his eyes and forcing himself to look away, Dick quickly spun on his heels and turned his back to the footage as he headed towards the elevator. That familiar helpless feeling filled him and as he stepped in, he lowered his head into his hand, twining his fingers into his raven black hair and pulling on it slightly. Dick had never been much of a pessimist. It just wasn't the way he usually thought. There was always an answer and a solution to every problem and every situation. However, this had been drawn out so long, and every second Jason was suffering. His life was on the line, and there seemed to be nothing Dick could do to fix it. The concept of finding him seemed so simple, and yet, he was nowhere to be found.

As the doors opened, Dick took a deep breath and slowly raised his head and walked out, running his hand through his hair to help it lie flat. Even if he wasn't feeling confident in the whole situation, he needed to remain the optimist. He stopped as he came to a window and looked outside, though his eyes didn't seem to really be focusing on anything in particular. Everyone else had low spirits, including Alfred. If he succumbed in hopelessness, then what would become of the four-person search party? Their efforts would turn more desperate than anything, and desperation at this point would only give Joker what he wants, not what they want.

Continuing onward, Dick walked to his room and entered it. Immediately, he went to the tack board and swept his gaze over it for a moment before taking down the ones with the red 'x' furiously marked onto them. He set them into the trash then started new papers, scrawling his pencil across the paper. He then set up three new papers on the board, each representing one of the three houses that Jasmine had been kept in for all of her life.

 _*Please let them lead to something.*_

Dick's eyes shifted to his nightstand and he sat on the edge of the bed and picked up a small picture frame. It was a picture of him and Jason years ago. If Dick remembered correctly, he had just started as Nightwing and still had connections to the Titans during this time. The picture portrayed a young Dick with an arm slung around a shorter Jason(though presently, the younger boy was now taller than Dick) in a headlock with a wide grin plastered on his face. Jason was glaring up at him, his arms crossed over his chest, though a small smile was curved on his lips and there was a hint of lightness in his eyes.

Smiling at the small memory of the day, Dick gently set the picture back in its place, which was beside a picture of him and the Titans, before slowly standing up. It was time to tell Jasmine about the plan for tonight, since they should be leaving rather soon. Hopefully, she wouldn't run off. Chuckling lightly to himself, Dick made his way from his room and stopped outside of Jasmine's. He paused slightly as he raised his hand, taking a deep breath before giving three knocks on the door.

"Come in." Jasmine's muffled voice came through and he smiled lightly, assuming that she thought he was Alfred at the moment.

Dick slowly opened the door, and his blue-gray eyes immediately landed on the brown haired girl. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and the shorter side bangs that fell to the end of her jaw were swept to the right side like usual, shaping her face nicely. She was lying on the ground, a pencil held elegantly in her left hand and a white eraser resting beside her sketchbook, which was opened in front of her. The tip of the pointer finger on her right hand was a metallic gray, telling Dick that she had used it to "smear" the lines she had made with the pencil to give a shadow effect. Her enchanting blue=green eyes were fixated on her drawing with a scrutinizing gaze. In fact, Jasmine was so enraptured into the sketch that she didn't even look up at the moment, though Dick himself could not see it due to the angle it was at.

"You know, the floor isn't really that comfortable."

At the sound of his voice, Dick saw Jasmine's eyes widen a little, and almost immediately he saw a light pink blush rise on her cheeks. He watched as she quickly sat up, drawing the sketch to her chest and gazing at him. When their eyes met, she averted hers rather quickly, a timid light coming over her and she cleared her throat slightly. Dick fought the urge to give a small laugh, not use to her being so shy and awkward. Really, it was rather cute, though he held his tongue.

"Well, I can't draw too well on a bed since I need a more solid surface, and I didn't feel like sitting. The floor was the next best thing." She answered in an even voice, rising to her feet. At least she didn't get flustered to the point where she stuttered, which Dick hoped was improvement on the whole situation. He knew that it was likely she had never had romantic feelings for another, so the whole sensation may be entirely foreign for her. Then again, maybe he was completely off and she was just too embarrassed to say she only saw him as a friend or, even worse, as a brother.

"What did you draw?" Dick asked, walking over to her until he stood beside her and peered over her shoulder, hoping to see a glimpse of her drawing. However, she drew the sketchbook close to her chest and he sighed lightly.

"N-Nothing good enough to see. It's not done yet anyways." Jasmine said, her cheeks darkening.

* _There's the stutter._ * He thought to himself glumly, but couldn't help but smiling lightly at her blush, "Oh, I doubt that it isn't good, and you know me. I don't care if it's done or not. Come on, Jazz, please?" He asked good-naturedly, and was delighted to see that regular teasing light enter her eyes and she glanced at him, the timid persona that had possessed her the past day seeming to be pushed back.

"Last time I heard, you've already seen _plenty_ of my drawings when you looked through my sketchbook without permission," She sniffed, pulling away and walked to her desk, setting the sketchbook in the middle of it. Dick reacted mostly without thinking that much and walked up, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and pulling her to his chest.

"Are you mad that I did?" Dick asked with a small smirk, gazing down at her as she blushed deeply and glanced at him.

"N-Not exactly…" She breathed and he smiled at her.

"Good, because your sketches are amazing. You shouldn't be embarrassed to show them," He said to her before slowly pulling back from her and yawned, crossing his arms behind his head, "Anyways. Bruce said that we need to investigate your old houses tonight. You up for it?" He asked casually, though Dick studied her reaction closely. Her blue-green eyes seemed to almost darken and she looked away from him for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Yeah," she began quietly before looking to him and meeting his eyes, her eyes set in determination, "I'm up for it."

Dick smiled at her response. He had been a little worried about how she might take it at first, but he had almost forgotten just how strong and determined she truly was, "Alright, great. Meet me in the Batcave in ten."

"You got it. Now leave so I can change." She said with a smile and he smirked lightly.

"But I've already seen you change before."

"Dick! Out!" Jasmine exclaimed, her face flushing slightly but she was laughing as she pushed him to the door.

"Okay, okay!"

Dick glanced at her fondly as she pushed him to the door and he stepped out into the hallway. The door shut softly behind him and he laughed quietly to himself before walked back over to his room to change into his Nightwing suit. The small interaction hadn't been too awkward or anything, which was relieving to him. Even if Jasmine didn't end up sharing his feelings, he still wanted to be close to her. * _Besides. Jason likes her..._ * Dick thought to himself, a wave of guilt washing over him.

* _Just let me have a chance with her._ * Jason's voice echoed in Dick's head and he swallowed hard as he remembered the day while he pulled his suit on.

That day, he had recognized Jason's feelings for Jasmine. Not only that, but Jason had told Dick that he also had feelings for her. Of course, Dick had denied this at the time, but Jason had been right. He did have feelings for Jasmine. Looking back in it, the boy realized that, even then, he had feelings for the girl. In fact, he had gotten jealous of her and Jason's interaction earlier that day but had brushed it off. This also brought forth the moment when Jasmine had come into his room, however, and kissed Dick's cheek since he had been returning to Bludhaven. What Alfred said earlier about her having shared his affections entered his mind and Dick sighed heavily, knowing that he needed to clear his head and become focused in this coming mission.

Double checking to be sure everything was in order, Dick then left his room and walked to the elevator that lead down to the Batcave. Upon entering, he walked over to where the Batwing and motorcycles were at, only to stop in surprise as he saw Jasmine leaning back against her motorcycle with her arms crossed, already completely changed in her Batgirl suit. Blinking, a small smile came over him. He knew for a fact that he was rather early, which meant she completely beat him in getting dressed.

"Took you long enough." Jasmine called and he chuckled lightly before walking to Robin's motorcycle. It had been forever since he rode the thing, but with Bruce having taken the Batmobile, and the fact that the Batwing wasn't needed for this mission, it looked like he was going to be using it.

"I only took my time since I figured that you would take the ten minutes." He smirked over at her, swinging his leg over the vehicle.

"Well, looks like we switched places then," She taunted back before settling over her vehicle. She glanced at him and offered a light smile, "Ready?"

Dick couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as he settled on the Robin motorcycle. He never imagined he would be riding it again. Shifting his eyes to the side, he began to recall when Bruce had first given him the motorcycle. He had been so excited that day, and he hadn't wanted the night to end. That had been so long ago, and really, it almost seemed as though it hadn't even happened. It was Jasmine's voice that pulled him from the past and he looked to her and nodded, revving the engine a little. "Yeah, let's go."

The two of them took off into the night and on the streets of Gotham. Dick let Jasmine lead, since she knew the position of these places much better than he would. Considering the places, he thought back to the one he had found her in and wondered if they were all similar to that building. It would make sense that they were, since buildings such as those were numerous and easily overlooked. When they turned onto a dark, mostly abandoned street, he knew they were getting close. Finally, Jasmine slowed down to a stop with Dick just behind her and the two stepped off their motorcycles.

Glancing to Jasmine, he saw her take a deep breath as she gazed at what appeared to be an old apartment building. It was in pretty bad shape from the outside, but after seeing the first, Dick knew that it could look entirely different on the inside. Jasmine and Dick walked up to the front, only to find the door locked. Before Dick really could do much of anything, Jasmine took out a lock picking device and unlocked the door within a few seconds. The door practically swung open itself, making a loud creaking noise and exposing only darkness.

"Home sweet home." Jasmine muttered before stepping in with her arms crossed over her chest. Dick saw her reach over and lights dimly came on, a few flickering here and there, and then stepped into the small apartment like house, closing the door behind him.

The place looked old and musty, as though no one had lived in it for months, but other than that it was actually rather neat. Then again, it wasn't like there was really an abundance of objects occupying the area. That itself was enough to give Dick a flicker of disappointment. With this having not been used in so long, that meant nothing on Jason would be in here. At least, it wouldn't be likely. While he had paused to glance around the area, he noticed that Jasmine was walking directly to the pantry.

"Don't tell me you're hungry." He teased her lightly and he saw a smile curve on her lips as she opened the door to it.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. Just watch and learn, Nightwing." She said evenly. Smirking to himself slightly, Dick strolled over and leaned back against a counter as he watched her move some kind of boxed food. As she reached back, he heard a small click and frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. There was a small delay as Jasmine stepped back, obviously waiting for something to happen.

"Well, that was rather anti-climactic." He spoke, only for the wall of the pantry to separate down the middle and the floor pulled back, revealing a staircase that descended down into some unknown area. Lights then flickered on, showing that it seemed to be some kind of basement area. "I stand corrected."

"All of these houses have small hidden compartments or rooms. That's where the information will be, if there is any at all." She spoke before walking down the stairs without hesitation.

"And you know where all of these are?" Dick asked, following her down.

"Honestly, I'm not sure if I have the location of every single one, but I should know the majority." She said, an unsure tone to her voice. Dick supposed that it would make sense that she wouldn't know the placement of every single one, since it wasn't like Joker or Harley would share all their dirty secrets with their daughter.

As the got to the bottom, Jasmine immediately slowly began walking to a small desk that was settled in the corner. However, Dick was more interested about almost everything else. There was a post in the center with two end putting out, almost like handlebars. Dried blood covered the ground around it in small splatters and droplets. One wall was covered with different kinds of weapons, some rusted with age and others seemed to be in good shape. As he got closer to inspect the weapons, he found that some of the weapons that he thought had "rust" on it was actually dried blood. Of course, some actually did have rust, but not a lot of them. Despite this scene, Jasmine seemed uninterested and was going through a small pile of papers.

"Batgirl. You see this, right? Robin could have been here." He spoke and he saw her pause for a moment and a small silence lapsed between the two.

"That's not Robin's blood." She spoke quietly and he narrowed his eyes, "It's mine."

"Yours…" Dick breathed, glancing at the surroundings once again with a new outlook. He recalled how she had told him that her old mentor, Risuka, had whipped her until she no longer responded to the pain. Glancing to the post, he frowned deeply, able to imagine a young Jasmine on her knees and holding the makeshift handles of the post with her back exposed as she took her lashes. That lead to the weapons, and he glanced over at them.

"Were you tortured?" He asked and she glanced over her shoulder at him before following his gaze to the wall. He heard her sigh lightly before setting the papers down and walked up to it, plucking a knife from the wall.

"No," She said shortly before twirling the knife in her hand, ending it in a perfect grabbing position, "I was trained. After I mastered the whip, I was still pretty young, so Risuka taught me how to wield other weapons. Given, I didn't like them nearly as much, but it was necessary at the time. The only truly effective way in training how to kill is real combat, so that's what we did." She explained, her voice almost emotionless as she did. Dick noticed her gazing into the reflection of the knife for a moment before moving in one quick and fluid movement. The knife flew from her fingers and landed in the center of the post and she looked to him, "We aren't here to be talking about my past though." She said with a bit of an edge to her voice before turning her back to him and walking back to the desk.

Dick glanced to the knife she had thrown, which had landed in the dead center of the post before crossing his arms over his chest and walking until he stood beside her. It was almost frustrating to him that despite how close they were and the amount of time they had known each other, Dick still didn't truly know the majority of what happened in her past, which clearly affected her. He wished that she could trust him enough to say something.

As of now, Jasmine had returned her attention to the pile of papers and was flipping through them. So, Dick began to reach towards a drawer and opened it. As he pulled out a small bundle of papers, he noticed a light mark at the bottom of the drawer and studied it silently. It looked a lot like….Dick's eyes shot to Jasmine for a moment. She had set the pile of papers down, opened another draw and pulled out another small stack. The symbol was the same symbol as the wooden pendent she wore just about every day. The whole thing was…mysterious at most. What was the symbol and what did it mean? Reaching into the drawer, he pressed against the symbol, which opened a small hidden compartment. Inside this compartment, his hand wrapped around small book and he pulled it out. The book was black and the pages seemed to be yellow with age. On closer inspection, it seemed to be a diary of some sort.. By the looks of it, it hadn't been opened in years. On the cover was that symbol again. For some reason, Dick found it would be unwise to show or tell Jasmine, so he hid the diary within his own pockets before turning to her.

"Do those papers contain anything on Robin?"

"No…most are progress reports on me when I was younger, some are training diagrams and others are ideas to wreak havoc to Gotham." She said in an annoyed voice, tossing the papers back on the desk in an almost aggressive manner.

"Progress reports and training diagrams? That doesn't really sound like Joker or Harley." He stated and Jasmine turned her back to him and began walking away silently.

Dick sighed and picked up the papers, scanning through them. They were written in Japanese. Ah, that made much more sense. While he would have liked to read through them, Jasmine was already leaving. So, he set them back down and walked after her, glancing at the thrown dagger stuck in the post for a moment before walking back up the stairs, only to see Jasmine wasn't waiting in the kitchen. If he were to guess, she was probably in the room that used to be hers. At least, he expected there to be a room she used to stay in. Glancing around the area, he noticed a door slightly ajar. Walking to it, he was about to open it when the door swung open itself, revealing Jasmine. She paused before him then brushed past him.

"Let's go, Nightwing. We have two other places to go check out." She said quietly.

Dick watched her leave then glanced into the room in a moment of curiosity. He sucked in a small breath and took a step in. The room was covered in drawings. They hung from the walls and covered desks. He thought back to the house he found her in, which had been full of mostly books, but this one had drawings all over it. However, these were much different from the ones in that sketchbook of hers back at the manor. These were…dark. Disturbing even. The whole room gave a sorrowful and…enraged aura. A picture torn in two caught his attention and he walked over and bent down, picking it up and moving the two pieces together.

"Jasmine…" He muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The picture showed her standing in the center of the paper holding her two whips with her parents dead at her feet. He thought back to when he saw her take down that one man who had planned to rape that girl. The darkness that had enveloped her had been cold and dangerous. It had been the first thing that made him relate Jasmine to her parents. Could the girl he has grown to know still have this dark side to her?

Dick shook his head and let the picture flutter from his hands. It didn't matter if she still had a dark side or not. He rose to his feet and walked out of her room before exiting the small apartment. She had chosen her path, and even if that darkness was still within her, she didn't act on it. It doesn't change who she is. As he walked out, Jasmine was sitting on her motorcycle and looked over as he came out. A small almost concerned frown was on her lips, and he could sense that she was excepting him to say something. He walked to the Robin motorcycle and swung onto it.

"Ready?"

Jasmine looked over and seemed rather surprise until she looked ahead, her lips curving slightly at the sides, "Yeah."

The two of them took off, and once again, Dick let Jasmine take the lead. As they continued, he noticed that they were heading in the direction of the house that he had found Jasmine in about a month ago. It really didn't take too long to get there considering they mostly took back streets and abandoned alleyways. When they got to the run down looking place, he and Jasmine got off. She looked back at Dick.

"I only know of one spot. This place doesn't have extremely wide importance. It'll be faster if I just go in to check for information then come back out." She spoke quietly. Dick hesitated in letting her do so before giving a small incline of his head and settled back onto the motorcycle.

"Just don't keep me waiting." He smirked to her. He noticed her smile slightly before she ran inside. Dick leaned a bit back and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for her to return. It wasn't more than a few minutes until she returned. It didn't take long, just as she said. In fact, she was out within a matter of minutes.

"It was just as I expected. There was nothing there." She said, swinging her leg over her motorcycle.

"I see. On we go then." Dick sighed, before taking off once more. He wished something could just go their way for once. This game of hide-and-seek was getting tiring, and he wanted his little brother back. More than anything.

The Gotham Harbor slowly came into view and Jasmine began to slow before a storage building. Like the others, it fit into the surrounding well which made it easy to be looked over. There was something about this one, however, that seemed to make Jasmine on edge. He didn't know why, but he could tell that there seemed to be a hesitance within her as she got off her motorcycle and gazed at the last place of her past.

"This used to be my favorite place to be because of the water." Jasmine spoke quietly and Dick glanced over at her. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her cape fluttered slightly in the faint breeze.

"And now?" Dick spoke and saw her scowl before walking forwards.

"I wish it would burn to the ground."

* _Something happened here._ * Dick thought to himself as he followed just slightly behind her. Of course, something happened to her in each house, but this one had the most malevolent situation. The only reason he knew this was because he could see her deep hatred for the place.

"Let's get through this place quickly. I don't want to stay here for long." She said sharply as they stopped before the door.

"That's fine." Dick spoke, watching as she opened the door and flipped on a switch, which turned on a single lightbulb. It didn't exactly illuminate the place extremely well, but it was better than having no light, he supposed. The surrounding didn't seem like a house at all. It was more like a training area than anything. There were two doors on the side that Dick guessed were rooms, but Jasmine walked over to a wall that had random words spray painted on it. She stopped before a large 'K' and pressed her hand to the center of the letter. The middle sunk into a wall and a hidden door swung open.

Not seeing anything else worth looking over, Dick followed Jasmine into the room. When he entered, he narrowed his eyes and let out a sigh. The whole room was basically cleared out except for a hole-filled mattress. Jasmine herself stiffened at the sight then rammed her left fist against the wall in aggravation.

"Damnit! Nothing again. They haven't used these houses at all." She spat, ducking her head slightly.

While Dick would have typically said something more uplifting, he was silent this time. He felt her same frustration and anger. Every idea they had and every lead they believed they had all turned out to be large wastes of time. Reaching his hand up, he pressed his finger to his ear to contact Bruce.

"We haven't found anything about Jason in the three houses." He spoke, turning his back and stepping out of the room. He simply walked along the open area. The whole place seemed completely abandoned.

"Not a single thing?" Bruce's voice spoke in his ear.

"Not one. Have you figured anything out?" He asked.

"No. The police have been getting in the way this time, which makes things harder. Go ahead and return to the Batcave with Batgirl. We don't have any leads to go off of."

"But Batman, the night still has a few hours left. Batgirl and I could go ahead and continue searching-"

"You heard my orders, Nightwing. The two of you are done for the night. Understood?"

"Yeah, sure." He growled, lowering his hand and disconnecting from the call. He then became aware of his surroundings and noticed small droplets of dried blood on the ground at his feet.

"What?" He muttered, and then looked over, seeing the droplets become more defined on the ground until they formed into the shape of what used to be a puddle.

"They never cleaned it up, huh? Typical." Jasmine's cold voice came from behind Dick and he turned to her.

"This was where Risuka was killed, wasn't it?" He spoke levelly, connecting the pieces.

"Shot in the head." Jasmine responded quietly and turned away. Dick studied her for a moment before walking towards the door.

"Well, Batman gave us orders to return to the Batcave for the night. We should head out, since this place doesn't seem to have any more information than the other two buildings had." He spoke, not dwelling into her past any deeper. She didn't respond, but the sound of footsteps behind him told Dick that she was following.

Dick and Jasmine left the building and got back on their motorcycles in silence. The frustration between the two was evident along with the increased feeling of hopelessness. All they could hope for was that Bruce would be able to get some kind of new lead that would lead them to Jason. That was all they needed to find Jason, and they couldn't get one simple little detail. When they got to the Batcave, Dick quickly got off of the motorcycle and stalked to his room. At the moment, he really wasn't in the mood for talking or teasing. It was getting harder to remain positive.

As he entered his room, Dick jumped onto his bed. He found himself staring up at the ceiling in a deadly glare that soon turned sorrowful. Turning his head, his gaze locked on the picture of him and Jason and he sighed quietly. How could they be so unsuccessful? How was it that they couldn't find Jason? Were they not trying hard enough? What were they missing?!

"Where are you?" Dick whispered to himself in frustration and ran a hand through his hair as he took a deep breath.

Reaching into his belt, he pulled out the notebook or diary he had found earlier. Looking at it, Dick considered reading the diary, but decided against it for now. Opening his drawer, he set the diary inside then closed it. He would read it tomorrow. He wasn't really in the mood. Dick got up and switched out of his Nightwing suit for a pair of boxers and pants than hung low on his hips. After, he brushed his teeth then returned to his bed, where he looked to the ceiling once more before letting his eyes fall closed.

Only about five minutes afterwards, a knock at Dick's door caught his attention and he frowned in annoyance, not making a move to get out of the bed. Maybe whoever it was would simply leave him alone. However, the knocking persisted and he let out a deep sigh before peering open his eyes and slipping off of his bed. A few black strands on his hair fell of his eyes a bit, but he didn't really care at the moment. He opened the door before leaning his shoulder against the doorframe and crossing his arms over his chest. His blue-gray eyes locked on Jasmine, who now wore a black tank top and black running shorts that had a white stripe going down the sides.

"What?" He asked her, his voice sharper than what he had intended.

Jasmine didn't answer right away, seeming to study him for a moment, "You're upset, aren't you?" She said quietly.

"It doesn't matter even if I am."

"Dick, you tell me to be open with you, so why can't you be open with me?" She spoke and he narrowed his eyes at her before smirking humorlessly at her and he leaned towards her a little bit.

"I haven't been open with you, huh? That's bullshit, Jasmine. I'm not the one who tries to keep secrets about myself from you, am I? I actually told you _my_ past but you just really like being a mystery. Well, I'm tired of trying to uncover everything for myself and not getting anywhere." He said to her coldly, letting his aggravation and negativity take him over at the moment. Jasmine looked down, casting her eyes in shadow and he closed his eyes, cursing at himself mentally and squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry. That was wrong of me to say." He spoke to her, his tone gentle this time.

"No, it wasn't. You have every reason to be upset with me." Jasmine said quietly before slowly raising her head. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes revealed her emotions. They were filled with sorrow, anger and worry, "You that's not the only reason you are upset." She whispered.

Dick stared at her before averting his eyes and exhaling, "Perhaps." He muttered, before turning his back to her and walking to his bed, not feeling like standing at the moment, "You might as well come in." He called, sitting on the edge of his bed. His eyes trailed Jasmine as she walked in his room and stood in front of him. However, she wasn't looking at him, but rather at the two pictures on his nightstand.

"You have always been such a positive person, Dick. I've rarely seen you look down or hopeless," She spoke quietly, gently taking the picture of him and Jason into her hands, "You're optimism is contagious, but in the end, even that can be taken." Jasmine set the picture back down and looked to him. Dick looked at her silently, unable to believe that she had looked through his staged optimism. There was no way…he needed to keep it up. Even if his hope was draining, she at least needed to keep hers. A small, humorless smile slowly curved onto his lips.

"A good assumption." He spoke before crossing his arms over his chest, "But I'm fine. I'm simply tired. I think you have misread me, Jasmine." He smirked to her and saw her eyes narrow.

"This isn't an assumption."

"Oh? And what do you know about someone else's emotions?" He spoke to her lowly, knowing he was being an ass, but that was how he pushed people away

"Would you stop being a jackass?!" She shouted at him and he snapped his eyes to hers in slight surprise.

"I get it, Richard! I understand that this whole thing predicament is wearing you down and making you hopeless. I may not know what it is like to have a sibling, but I do know what it is like to lose someone who is like family to you. I watched Risuka get shot in the head by my father. Mentally, I've been in dark places and I know what it is like to feel desperate, hopeless and angry. Jason is still in grasp, but every day he isn't found is like torture. You keep trying to put on this positive facade around everyone else, and then you suffer on your own. Let me be here for you just like you've been here for me!" She said strongly and Dick gazed at her with slightly wide eyes before looking down and clenching his hands into fists.

"I'm doing what is best for everyone else. Like you said, my optimism is contagious. In circumstances like these, it is important to keep morale up. Even if mine is shrinking, I've made it my responsibility to maintain everyone else's. I deserve to suffer by myself, Jasmine, because every day Jason is gone is on me! Every second he isn't away from the sick psycho is because I'm failing-" He began, his voice rising only for his forehead to be pressed against her stomach and her hands rest on the back of his head and his back.

"You aren't failing, Dick. This isn't your fault!" Jasmine spoke in an almost heartbroken voice and Dick caught his breath for a moment. At first, he simply sat like that before slowly wrapping his arms around the small of her back and closing his eyes.

"I miss him, Jasmine. I'm so worried…" He said quietly and felt her fingers run through his hair gently.

"I know." She whispered.

They stayed like that silently for a few moments until Dick slowly began to draw back. As Jasmine began to back away, Dick tugged her forwards, making her stumble forwards. Her hands rested on his chest and as she came forwards, her weight made Dick lie back against the bed. He tightened his arms around the small of her back slightly to keep her drawn close to him and gazed up at her as she rested on top of his chest.

"R-Richard…what…what are you…?" She whispered, gazing into his almost timidly and her cheeks flushed faintly.

Dick could feel her heart racing, and his own had picked up tempo as well. However, he moved his face close and brushed his lips over hers lightly, making her next words trial off. Then he kissed her gently. This was different from the first time he kissed her. This kiss was deeper and more urgent. After a few seconds, he felt her start to kiss him back and her body relaxed in his arms. When he pulled back slightly, they were both breathing rather quickly and he opened his eyes, meeting her blue-green gaze, which seemed to glow faintly in the dim lighting of his room. He felt her move her hand up to his cheek and couldn't help but smile lightly at the soft touch.

"I believe I understand what I feel for you now." Jasmine whispered and he chuckled softly, rolling them over so he was on top of her, though he held himself up using his elbows.

"Look you long enough, Quinn." He teased her lightly and she smiled.

"Shut up, Grayson." She laughed quietly then leaned up and kissed him passionately, which he immediately returned.

In that moment, Dick let go of his worries and his fears. All he focused on was Jasmine, the girl who had been able to capture his heart in the time that he had known her. As they kissed, the world seemed to melt away. It was almost like a dream that he didn't want to wake up from. When he first met Jasmine, never would he have imagined just how important she would be to him, let alone the amount of feelings he attained for her. Yes, Dick had been with other women, but he had never felt this strongly for anyone else before. Not once. When their kiss ended, he didn't want to let her go. At least, not yet. So instead, he rolled to the side so that he was lying beside her and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Stay with me." He murmured in her ear gently.

"I will." Jasmine breathed out and he smiled before pulling away from her to turn the light off, only to wrap his arms around her once more and close his eyes. It didn't take him too long to fall asleep as he held Jasmine close to him with a light smile playing on his lips as he did.


	16. Chapter 16

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 16

"You're never going to find the kid!"

Jasmine glared at the henchman before her. She had grabbed the front of his collar and brought him up to ask where Jason was. Of course, he was being uncooperative. Already, he had lashes on his back, chest and shoulders, though she hadn't introduced him to the spiked version of her whip just yet. The two were on top of a roof since it would keep them rather hidden due to the police starting to get in the way.

"You really want to test that theory?" She growled before she shoved him against the ground roughly and rose to her feet from the crouch she had been in.

"Are you going to whip me again, Batgirl? It isn't going to do you any good." He sneered. A humorless smile crossed over her lips as she uncoiled her whips.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that if I were you."

Jasmine twisted the bands on the whips' hilt, and the metal plates stuck out immediately, becoming blades. The man's eyes widened and filled with fear, just as Jasmine had expected they would. He then staggered to his feet and tried to run. Clearly, the attempt was futile considering he's on a roof and hobbling. Jasmine easily lashed out one of her whips with an easy little flick of her hand. It caught around his wrist and the blades embedded into his skin deeply, causing him to cry out. She tugged him back towards her, causing the already injured man to lose his balance and fall to the ground followed by the snap of a bone in his wrist. Jasmine twisted the band of the whip that was wrapped around the man's wrist. It returned to its normal metal surface and she easily pulled it back. The wrist was shredded, and blood freely ran across the man's hand and dripped from his fingertips. He cradled it to his chest in evident pain then slowly looked up at her, hatred brewing in his eyes, but also fear. Walking forwards, Jasmine stood before him then crouched down to his present level, rolling onto the balls of her feet as she did.

"Now, I'm going to ask you again. Where is Robin? If you decide not to tell me, then your other wrist gets the same fate." She said darkly. For a quick moment, her eyes glanced around the area. Bruce said that his victims were always killed by someone with a gun as he was in the middle of the interrogation and about to get information. She was being careful not to make this mistake.

"Look Batgirl, if I tell you anything, then it's my head on the line. At least with you lot I get to live. I'd rather take my chances with you, Nightwing and Bats." He spoke sharply and she frowned deeply.

"I can offer you protection." She spoke lowly, and he seemed to consider it for a moment before smirking.

"What kind of protection are we talking about here?"

"An effective kind. Now tell me." Jasmine snapped.

He paused for a moment before nodded slightly, "Alright, I'll tell ya what I know. The thing is, I'm a pretty lowly ranked worker. I don't get to know all that much. I have no idea where the kid is, but Stevie Jacobson does. You find Stevie Jacobson, then you'll find the boy once he tells you the location."

"Where can I find him?"

"I'll need a little more pay for that inform-"

Jasmine took her still spiked whip and pushed it up against his throat. The tips of a few blades pricked into his skin, making blood trickle down his neck, "Where can I find him?" She growled.

"Okay, okay! Calm down! The warehouse with the old window." He said quickly and she drew the whip back with a small nod. She knew where that one was. "Now I get what you promised! Protection!" He exclaimed and she smiled slightly.

"That's right." Jasmine then took out one of her Batclaws and used it on him, making the line bind him.

"What is this?!" The man shouted.

"Your protection. You'll be pretty safe in a prison cell." She spoke, only for sirens to go off nearby. Perfect.

"You dirty little bitch. This wasn't our deal!" He snapped as she tugged him up to his feet and pushed him towards the edge of the roof. She bent beside a gargoyle and wrapped the line tightly around it.

"I offered you protection. I'm keeping my end of the deal." She said evenly then pushed him over the side of the roof. She stood at the edge, watching as he fell, only to abruptly stop as the line caught and he swung in the air as the police got closer and closer to finding his location. Jasmine melted back into the shadows then contacted Dick.

"I have a lead."

There was hardly any pause before he responded, "What is it?"

"I was able to successfully interrogate one of Joker's men. He says that he doesn't know where Robin is, but some guy named Stevie Jacobson does. He said that Jacobson should be in the warehouse with the old window. In other words, it is the one that has that window with the broken lock," She spoke.

"I'll meet you there." He spoke before disconnecting.

Immediately, Jasmine ran forwards, hopping from roof to roof. The policemen had arrived where she had dropped the henchman off for them, but she didn't need to stay there to see how that all went. While she could have taken the motorcycle, she wasn't up for a police chase. She had to get to the warehouse quickly, and police would only make it take longer. So jumping from rooftop to rooftop was the fastest. It only took a few minutes to get there, and as she finally landed on the roof, she saw that Dick was already there.

"That took you a while." He said to her in a mocking voice and she smiled slightly.

"I didn't use my motorcycle. Too many police around, and I wasn't up for a top speed chase around Gotham." She answered and the two walked over to the place the broken window was at.

"I see. Well, I do hope you are up for breaking and entering." He smirked slightly, taking out his line launcher while she took out her batclaw.

"Why of course I am. Who isn't up for breaking and entering?" She grinned before jumped off the edge of the roof.

Quickly, Jasmine twisted in the air then shot the batclaw, which securely attached to the roof. She then swung towards the wall and bent her knees to take the force of the impact of going against the roof. She hung by the window as Dick did the same thing, only he was positioned on the other side of the window. Dick mentioned to the roof, telling her to go first. With a nod, she pushed her hand against the window, making it swing open. Then she maneuvered through it and landed silently on her feet. Stepping to the side, Dick easily came in beside her. Hearing voices, Dick and Jasmine walked towards a closed door. Looking at each other for a moment, they both listened silently for different voices. What they were saying was muffled and since they weren't using a device, it couldn't be deciphered. However, they were able to hear the different tones of voices being used.

After a few minutes of listening, Dick held up four fingers and Jasmine nodded. That had been the number of occupants she came up with as well, but she hadn't been positive. The two of them pulled away from the door and drew their weapons quietly. The only way they would be able to get in the room was by entering through the closed door. That meant exposing their position, but at this moment, it didn't matter. They would take out the four of them, find Stevie Jacobson and eventually get Jason's location. That was all that mattered.

Dick held up two fingers to her then pointed to the door, which she comprehended was that she would take two of them and he would take two. Then, she waited for Dick to make his move. He waited for a moment before breaking the door down and moving quickly into the room. Jasmine didn't hesitate to move forward as well, instantly taking in her surroundings. The room was cloudy with cigarette smoke, which made her want to wrinkle her nose and cough, though she was able to hold it back. Four people, just as she and Dick had estimated. Three men and one woman were seated around in these uncomfortable looking chairs, each holding guns in their lap and had clown masks in a small pile on the ground.

As she and Dick surged into the room, they all looked over with startled, wide eyes. They began to scramble to get a good hold on their guns, but they were much too late. Jasmine's whips lashed out lightning fast, wrapping around the guns of the two criminals she had picked then tugged. The guns flew to the other side of the room, and almost immediately after, lashes began appearing on their chest and shoulders, making them stagger back with small cries of pained surprise. Moving forward, Jasmine drew her arm back and punched the target that was closest to her. He dropped to the ground, and the female criminal rushed at Jasmine, punching in a wild frenzy. Jasmine easily dodged them then caught the woman's hand before ramming her elbow into her temple as hard as she could, letting her collapse unconscious to the ground. They were after a man, so she would simply be delivered to the police.

Jasmine turned her attention to the man she had punched, who was slowly getting to his feet. She stalked over and simply pressed her foot to his back and pushed him back down on the ground. Looking up, she saw Dick had one tightly wrapped in a cord and the other one was pushed against the wall with his arm twisted behind him.

"Alright boys. Which one of you is Stevie Jacobson?" Jasmine spoke out. She noticed the three of them exchanging glances but otherwise remained silent.

"Is no one going to talk? Don't make us do this the hard way." Dick warned, tugging the man's arm slightly and making him give a small cry of pain. The other two looked nervous but still remained silent.

"Well Nightwing, they chose their fate." Jasmine spoke up, twisting the band of one whip and releasing its blades. She shifted the whip, making it visible for the man she had pinned to the ground, "See this? If you don't tell me your name, then you get whipped by it."

"What?! You bat freaks aren't supposed to kill people!" The man shouted, struggling beneath her foot.

"For your information, I don't have bat in my name." Nightwing spoke to the man before twirling one of his escrima sticks in his fingers then activated the electricity at one of the ends. The man he had pushed against the wall sucked in a deep breath.

"And we don't kill. Here's the thing though," Jasmine said, leaning down a bit and putting more weight on the foot that was pushed against his back, "You took one of us, and he's being tortured. So, we're going to take the means necessary to get him back. Now. Your name." She said in a dark, dangerous voice.

"Robert Evans!" Nightwing's man shouted, "My name is Robert Evans."

"Then we don't have business with you." Dick said lowly, deactivating the electricity only to slam the butt of his escrima stick against the guy's head, knocking him out. He let Robert collapse to the ground then moved to the man bound by the cord, "Your turn."

"You're both crazy." The man Jasmine had underfoot snarled and she laughed humorlessly.

"You're one to talk. The lot of you are following Joker and Harley Quinn." She said lowly then lashed her whip against his shoulder, making him cry out in pain. A large gash immediately appeared and blood flowed out from the wound. "I suggest saying something, or I'll give you five in a row." She warned and he paused, seeming to be considering his options.

"Fine…my name's Benny Davis." He spat and she cussed under her breath before slamming the hilt of her whip against his head, knocking him out. That left only one more.

"So you must be Jacobson." Dick spoke to the bound man and he shook his head vigorously.

"N-No! I'm not Stevie, man! M-My name is Lance! Lance Fields. Look, Stevie went out to go buy some booze. He's probably gunna be back soon, honest! Just let me go!" He said in a rush, struggling against his bonds even though he had no chance of getting out of them.

"Why should we believe you?" Jasmine growled, only to hear the echoing sound of a door closing in the building. Dick and Jasmine glanced to each other before looking towards the door as a man walked into view holding a paper bag that was most likely full of alcohol. As he saw the scene, the man froze for a second, only to drop the booze and take off sprinting.

Immediately, Dick and Jasmine took off after him, running outside the building. He had a bit of a head start, but there was no way the man was going to get away. They followed him through the streets, only for him to turn into an alleyway, which was the mistake they were looking for him to do. Using his line launcher, Dick flew up to the rooftops and started surging ahead while Jasmine followed behind Jacobson. He turned into another alleyway path when Dick dropped down only a few feet ahead of his with his escrima sticks held in attacking position. Stevie skidded to a stop and automatically turned, only to be met with Jasmine standing there with her whips drawn. They had him completely cornered.

"Stevie Jacobson, where is Robin being held?" Dick asked him sharply, slowly stalking forwards to close the distance a bit. Stevie responded by stepping backwards a bit and looking at both her and Dick nervously.

"I know nothing!" He shouted and Jasmine scowled, sick and tired of hearing this same crap over and over again by these criminals. She just wanted the answers. Stepping forwards, she lashed a whip out, catching his cheek, which put a long cut into it. Jacobson staggered back a bit, moving his hand to his wound.

"Our patience is wearing thin. If you don't tell us, then I'm attacking. Understood? And trust me. You don't want to face me." Jasmine said lowly.

"I would recommend just answering the question." Dick said to Stevie sharply. Looking between them with a nervous darting of his eyes, he suddenly began to sprint towards Jasmine, probably thinking that she would be a pushover. Smirking, Jasmine stepped to the side, allowing him to run past her, only for one of her whips to dart out and wrap around his ankle with a flick of her wrist. As she tugged, he fell to the ground on his stomach and arms and she stalked over to him.

"Don't underestimate me. Now where is Robin?" She growled, bending down and grabbing his collar, pulling him close to her face.

"Go to hell." He spat and she smirked before glancing at Dick, who activated the electricity in his escrima sticks and hit his back with it, making his body jolt and caused him to cry out.

"I'll ask again. Where. Is. Robin?" Jasmine asked coldly and he slowly looked up to meet her covered eyes.

"Okay…I'll tell you. You see, the Boss knew that Bats knows his locations, so when the rise of the Black Mask came up again, it gave an ideal opportunity to get a few new ones. By making a deal with the Black Mask, he was given an area in the guy's territory or something. Apparently Bats doesn't know these places, so it made an ideal spot to keep the kid in." He began explaining.

"We already know this. What's the address?" Dick spoke sharply, activating the electricity on his other escrima stick.

"Calm down, man! I'm getting there!" Stevie exclaimed and Jasmine scowled, wanting him to get on with it already.

"Robin is being held in the basement of a warehouse. It's on East-"

All of a sudden, a gunshot rang out and the bullet went into Stevie's Jacobson's head and Harley Quinn's laughing voice rose into the air. Everything seemed to happen in a blur. Dick pursued after the shooters without hesitation. As for Jasmine, it was as though she was frozen, holding the collar of the dead man. The droplets of blood that had splattered onto her hand and face went unnoticed. The man slowly slipped from her shaking grip and she sat back as though stunned before slowly rising to her feet. They had been so close. They were getting the _address_.

* _I should have looked around the area before interrogating him. We should have brought him somewhere that was more closed off.*_ She thought to herself, feeling anger and frustration rising, but most of all, she felt the dark burning of hatred coursing through her.

Grabbing her whips, she then took off where Dick had gone in, sprinting to her full speed despite the light aching in her sprained ankle. The brace could only do so much, but she didn't care. The pain almost felt good. As she jumped from roof to roof, she shifted her eyes feverishly for any sign of her mother or Dick. After a few minutes of doing this, she caught sight of Dick standing on the edge of a roof, his hands clenched into fists. She stalked over and stood beside him for a moment before glancing over at him.

"They got away," He said lowly, and then held up what looked to be a DVD case, "and left this."

Jasmine didn't respond, but contacted Bruce instead, "We got the first word of a street and a disk." She spoke thinly. The response was a little delayed, but not by much.

"What's the word?"

"East. The source said that the building was a warehouse and Robin was being kept in the basement of it."

"Tell Nightwing to begin searching on all the streets near him that contained East as the first name, and to keep in contact with me." Bruce spoke and she frowned lightly.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Go back home."

"You're joking, right?" Jasmine asked sharply in disbelief.

"No. Just do as you're told." He spoke strictly before disconnecting.

Jasmine turned to Dick, "Batman said for you to search all the streets nearby that contain East as the first name and to keep in contact with him." She said lowly and he glanced at her.

"He asked you to return, didn't he?"

"Yes. It seems he doesn't trust me." She said, unable to keep the evident anger out of her voice.

"That's not it. You're a target, and he doesn't want to worry about Joker making a move." He spoke and she shook her head.

"It would be faster if I would join!" She snapped and Dick rested a hand on her shoulder firmly.

"I agree with him, Batgirl. Go back." He said, handing her the disk.

Jasmine looked at him in disbelief before scowling, though she took the disk. She tugged away from his hand and turned her back on him before pressing a button to call her motorcycle to the spot. She walked to the edge of the ceiling opposite of Dick as she waited, standing with her arms crossed. She knew that he had left to begin his search. Already, thoughts of disobeying had infested her mind, and she was tempted to do just that. What held her back, however, was the fact that the last time she had disobeyed she had been taken and tortured. Jasmine didn't want to take time away from the search for Jason. Given this, perhaps Bruce had a point in making her go back home, but that didn't mean she was any less upset about being forbidden to help in searching.

The motorcycle came into view and Jasmine jumped down from the roof, landing in a crouch before rising to her feet and getting on the vehicle. Making sure the disk was secure, she then took off quickly through the streets. The police were probably busy with the dead body of Stevie Jacobson, the warehouse of unconscious criminals and other Gotham related crimes, so speeders were most likely the last thing on their minds. Given this, it didn't take too long to get to the Batcave, and she burst in before coming to a stop at the motorcycle's specific place. Moving off, the sound of rapid typing caught her attention and she glanced over, seeing Barbara at the Batcomputer. Her long wavy red hair was swept into a messy ponytail and she was completely fixed on the computer screen, which was tracking Dick and Bruce as they made their rounds through the streets.

Jasmine walked over silently, thinking back to the last time and only time of seeing Barbara Gordon. It hadn't exactly been friendly or heartwarming. Typically, she tried her best to stay away from the red-headed girl considering that she doubted Barbara actually wanted to be anywhere near her. It had been her father who had shot her spine, hereby sentencing her to the wheelchair. To her, it probably not only seemed ironic but almost like a betrayal from Dick and Bruce to allow Jasmine to be Batgirl, which had been her former alias before Oracle. As of now, however, Jasmine wasn't going to stay away from her. She needed to see what was on those videos her father had sent. As she approached, Barbara glanced over to her, narrowing her green eyes for a moment before shifting her attention back to the screen. Jasmine followed her gaze, watching the pulsing red dots that were Dick and Bruce travelling quickly through the streets of Gotham.

"What happened to you?" Barbara spoke, though she sounded rather uninterested.

"A guy Dick and I were interrogating was shot in the head as I had him by the collar." Jasmine spoke, remembering that she had small blood splatters on her face and a few on her hands. She really needed to clean that off.

"Is that so?" Barbara spoke, looking at Jasmine from the corner of her eyes, "If you were working with Dick, then why are you here now?" She spoke, the suspicious tone in her voice not very well hidden. To say the least, it was rather insulting to Jasmine, though she didn't say so.

"Bruce wanted me to come back here." Jasmine spoke in a matter-of-fact voice.

"I see. So he wanted you to return to the Batcave when it would be faster having three people search the streets?" She spoke and Jasmine could feel her temper begin to rise but kept ahold of it.

"Trust me, I wasn't exactly thrilled about it either. Now can you stop all these questions? I'm not some villain that needs to be interrogated."

Barbara huffed lightly before returning her eyes to the screen, "What do you need then, Jasmine?" She spoke in a clipped tone.

"Dick found another video. I want to see the other two." She responded and Barbara glared over at her.

"Like you actually care about Jason? My bets are on the fact that you're involved in this whole epidemic." She muttered and Jasmine's eyes flashed angrily for a moment.

"I get that you don't trust or like me due to my parentage, Barbara Gordon, but I would _never_ partake in something like this, considering Jason is the first best friend I have ever had in my entire life. You need to understand that I hate my parents, and I chose to be here to try to stop them and the other criminals causing chaos in Gotham." She said, her voice rising as she spoke. Jasmine closed her eyes to calm herself down, "But explaining this to you is pointless, because in the end, you aren't going to believe me. So go ahead and blame me for everything, but at least accuse me when you have solid evidence." Jasmine spoke, opening her eyes and shifting them to Barbara, whose eyes were locked on her intensely, though the gaze was unreadable. However, she rolled her chair over to a part of the desk where she opened a small hidden compartment and took out the two disks. She then rolled back over.

"Bruce and Dick would prefer it if you didn't watch, and I would agree with them. They're horrible."

"Don't patronize me. I can handle it. Believe it or not, I've seen my share of horrible things in this world." Jasmine spoke sharply.

Barbara let out a light sigh before moving the tracking map to the side of the screen so she could still view it while the videos were playing. However, it was then that Bruce had stopped moving on the map. Only a few seconds after, Dick did as well before his dot moving in the direction Bruce was at. At this, the two girls fell completely silent and remained still, waiting for some kind of call. A small shred of hope filled Jasmine. This could mean that they found Jason. After a bit of shifting around on the map, Barbara rose her hand to her ear. Jasmine was a little disappointed she hadn't been called to hear the news, but it made sense why Barbara would get it before her. She was Oracle, after all. Jasmine studied the red-haired girl as she listened to whoever had contacted her, that hope slowly dying out when her face didn't become jubilant, but rather remained as still as a statue.

"Alright. I'll see you soon, Bruce." She finally spoke then lowered her hand.

"What did he say?" Jasmine asked, and saw Barbara's eyes fill with tears.

"It was the right building, but Jason wasn't there. They moved him to another location." The older girl said in a shaky voice.

"I see." Jasmine spoke quietly, ducking her head in grief and anger.

They had been so close, but in the end, it was because of the mistake of being out in the open that Jason wasn't rescued at this very moment. However, it was the sound of her father's voice that caught her immediate attention, and she snapped her eyes up to the screen, where Barbara must have played the first video. This showed Jason tied to a chair, his head ducked. His suit had tears that revealed bleeding cuts and purple bruises. Of course, her father had his dialogue, but she barely paid attention to it. All she looked at was Jason, and found herself unable to look away as he began to get beaten again and again even though she yearned to. Every time Jason replied to Joker, he spoke of how he knew Batman would find him and said haughty things that just got him hit harder. Throughout the video, he didn't lose that fighting spirit, and was knocked unconscious by the end of it.

The second video came on only about a minute afterwards. It was the same kind of set-up, but this time, Jason looked about ten times worse. His suit was torn all over the place, and he was covered in cuts, bruises and blood. Her father made sure to give a grand spectacle of the entire situation, and like last time, Jason expressed his faith in Batman, though he was much less spirited. Then Joker grabbed that damn crowbar again. Once more, he beat Jason, who this time let out small sounds of agony, with each blow. Near the end, Joker cut his bonds and pushed Jason from the chair, who collapsed to the floor. When he tried to get up, he was beaten with the crowbar all over again. One had enough force to send him on his back, which her father took advantage off and swung it at his stomach. The blow made Jason cry out, which was cut off abruptly as he coughed out blood. It was a blow to his head that knocked him out, and came to the end of the video. Jasmine's entire composure had almost succeeded in collapsing, and her hands shook faintly. Tears had filled her eyes, making the world a blur, though they refused to spill down her cheeks.

"Turn yourself in, Jasmine. He doesn't deserve this, and the easiest way to bring an end to that Hell is to give Joker what he wants, which is you." Barbara said lowly. Jasmine ducked her head forwards slightly, letting her eyes become cast in shadow. She wished that it were that simple, or she would have done it days ago.

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?! Stop being so selfish-" Barbara began to say fiercely.

"That's enough, Barbara. You should know that Joker would simply end up killing both of them. He wouldn't keep his end of the deal." Bruce's voice echoed, and Jasmine glanced over her shoulder, seeing both Bruce and Dick walking forwards. Both had deep frowns on their face, along with an almost exhausted look to them.

"But Bruce-"

"You heard what he said, Barbara. Jasmine stays with us." Dick spoke wearily as he came to a stop beside Jasmine. She averted her eyes from him, trying to rebuild at least some of her composure. She noticed him look over at her, and could almost see the question wanting to rise out of him asking whether she was okay or not. However, Bruce spoke up, taking away that opportunity, which Jasmine was grateful for at the moment.

"Play the third video." He spoke lowly. Silence settled over the four person group and Jasmine stepped forwards, handing the disk to Barbara before stepping back beside Dick.

Barbara put the disk in and it took only a moment to load before the video began to play. This time, Jason's wrists were bound above his head and he was hanging from the ceiling. There was a single light, almost like a spotlight, with the boy hanging in the center of it. He seemed limp, which lead Jasmine to believe that perhaps he was unconscious. However, Joker soon made his appearance, and woke up Jason, who gave a small startled and fear-filled shout before his deep blue eyes scanned the area quickly. He looked so broken, but as he caught sight of Joker, even from the video, Jasmine could see dark, deadly hatred settling in their depths and she caught her breath for a moment. That look was familiar, because that was what she saw for years looking into a mirror, contained in her own eyes.

Like the other times before, Joker spoke of how Batman and the rest weren't coming for him, that they had simply forgotten him and would be replacing him in only a matter of time. Jason gave short, clipped and hoarse answers, contradicting what Joker said. However, his tone wasn't as strong, along with his expression. He was losing that faith he once had in them. As the video began to come to an end, Joker pulled out a red hot prong and cut Jason down, who collapsed to the ground. As Joker began to stalk towards him, Jasmine saw fear ripple through him, and he began to drag himself in a futile attempt to get away, muttering "no," and "stop," over and over again. The two of them were hidden by the shadows, and Jason's voice suddenly rose into a scream of pure agony along with the sound of burning flesh.

Jasmine covered her mouth with her hand, her whole body shaking faintly. The video ended there, and silence stretched between everyone. No one spoke or moved. The only sound was the small drops of water that echoed throughout the caves and the light flapping of the bats' wings. As the video processed in her mind, Jasmine slowly lowered her hand from her mouth and stood there still as a statue, feeling that familiar dark and cold hatred filling her very being. The mask concealed her eyes, which had darkened and held a murderous glint.

* _I swear I'll murder that bastard. Slowly. I'll make him suffer for everything he has done until he begs for me to kill him. When I'm done with him, he won't even be recognizable._ *

Slowly, Jasmine turned her back to the screen and started walking away to the elevator. Her father wanted her back? Fine. She should have done this in the beginning. Scum like him didn't deserve to live, and once he was out of the picture, Jason's time in that Hell would be over. No one could come from that much pain and be fine, but she knew that Bruce could get him help. She also knew that by doing this, she would betray Bruce's no killing rule, and be kicked out of the Batfamily. However, this was what she had been trained to be. A killer. It was simply in her blood. She planned to end this the way it began: with her being a deadly weapon.

Jasmine made her way up to the manor as she stepped into the elevator. She didn't dare look at the others. If she saw Barbara's accusing looks, and Dick and Bruce's heartbroken composure, she might lose it herself. Right now, she needed to remain focused and fuel her hatred. If she let it become stagnant, then she might not do what needed to be done. As the elevator opened she stepped out and immediately walked to her room. As she entered, she tugged her Batgirl suit off before replacing it with her old dark gray cloak. Before long, she was once again Spade, the weapon her parents had previously created to help take down Robin and Batman and cause death, destruction and chaos. Now, it was about to backfire. Jasmine stared at herself in a mirror, studying her cold, dark and hatred filled eyes. With the small speckles of blood that still lingered on her face, she supposed she looked like a cold-hearted killer. The thought was almost saddening, but she brushed this aside before slowly pulling the hood up, which cast the upper part of her face in shadows. If she was wanted, then it would be rather easy to get "taken." This mission would be vital, and she would not fail. Her father's blood _would_ stain her hands, and she'll rejoice as it does.

Attaching her beloved whips to her sides, she turned out the light in her room then walked to the window. She opened it, moving onto the windowsill and sat there in a crouch for a moment, her eyes upturned to the sky where the moon was casting a faint silvery glow across the earth. It was only a little sliver of a moon, but it was still bright. Looking down for a moment, the faintest of smiles came over her lips as she thought back to the day she had been accepted as Batgirl. That was the first time she had gazed out of this very window, staring at the moon on all of its glory, and Dick had come in….

"Richard…" She whispered, bowing her head and closing her eyes for a moment. Right after she had finally realized her feelings for him, she was now leaving. He wouldn't forgive her actions, and the thought of seeing the disappointment in his gaze when he looked at her already put a knife between her ribs. However, she had to do this. It was what needed to be done, "I'm sorry," She murmured then was about to jump from the window when someone caught her left arm firmly.

"If you are so apologetic, then you should simply stay here."

The sudden voice and contact startled Jasmine, and successfully kept her from leaving for the moment. Turning her head to the side slightly, she was just able to see Dick from the corner of her eyes, though to him, he would only be able to see the lower part of her face. He was still in his Nightwing suit, though his mask was gone. His blue-gray eyes were startlingly bright despite being in such a dark surrounding. There was an inner turmoil held in his eyes, and this time, he wasn't trying to cover it up.

"I can't do that."

"And why is that?"

"I think you already know."

"Elaborate anyways," Dick said to her shortly and she gazed ahead, staring out into the night, her eyes fixed on the twinkling lights of Gotham City.

"I'm killing Joker. Tonight." She spoke lowly, and Dick was silent, "Goodbye, Richard."

Jasmine began to pull her hand away from his, but his grip tightened on her wrist to keep her in place, "I won't let you do that, Jasmine."

Jasmine's eyes darkened and she shifted her body to the side, coldly meeting his eyes with her own, "If I have to take you out first, then so be it. I don't expect you to understand. You are the light of this world and I am the dark. Sometimes, the dark has to take the necessary actions that the light can't." She explained almost expressionlessly, and saw his own eyes narrow.

"Do you truly think I haven't considered killing Joker?" He spoke in a low voice and Jasmine was taken aback for a second.

"It's not in your nature to kill." She spoke, having quickly regained her composure, only for Dick to give a short humorless laugh.

"I wouldn't say that it isn't in my nature. I just don't lower myself to the acts of criminals. However, do you honestly think that the idea of killing that psychotic bastard has never entered my mind or even Bruce's? I can tell you that I've thought of it more than on one occasion, and I'm sure Bruce has as well. Even if they deserve suffering or death, in the end, killing will make us no better than they are. We will be just as bad. You joined us saying that you didn't want to become what your parents wanted you to be, but if you go through with this, then you're going to be just as bad as Joker. I'm not going to let you let yourself down like that, Jasmine," Dick spoke evenly and strongly. Jasmine gazed at him, startled, before lowering her gaze for a moment and shaking her head.

"Jason needs to be saved now. This is the most efficient and quickest way. Coming here…it was a mistake. I can't stop what I am, and who I am meant to be. I was raised to cause death, and now I'm going to fulfill my duty." Jasmine said to him and ducked her head down slightly, "If I must carry the sins of my father after his death, then so be it. As long as the world is rid of him, it will be safer, and Jason will return back where he belongs. Here." She said in a quiet voice.

"Don't you get it, Jasmine?! You can choose who you are meant to be and what you are. No one can control that but yourself. The last time I remembered, your duty is to protect the people of Gotham, not kill the enemies threatening it. You say this was a mistake, but do you regret meeting Alfred, Bruce, Barbara, Jason…me?" He said, his voice quieting as he spoke the last sentence.

Jasmine was silent for a moment and looked away from him, "I need to go." She said quietly, not answering his question. Of course she didn't regret meeting them. Not at all. She loved all of them, even Barbara. They were her true family. Knowing that what she was about to do would make her their enemies was heart shattering, but Joker needed to pay for his sins. For torturing Jason, killing numerous innocent people and…and killing Risuka but not her.

"Before you go, I want to show you something." Dick said in a clipped tone and she winced slightly before sighing and looking back at him.

"What is it?"

She watched as he pushed his hand into his utility belt and pulled out a small, black leather, diary. Immediately, Jasmine recognized it and she caught her breath and her heart seemed to skip a beat, "W-Where did you get Risuka's…"

"In that desk we were investigating yesterday. It has the same symbol as the pendent of your necklace on the cover. Given that, I'm guessing that necklace was hers as well. I read the diary, and I think that maybe you should too." He spoke evenly, handing it out to her. Jasmine instantly reached out and took it before slowly opening it. She flipped through it till she got to the date that they had first met and began to read the neat Japanese writing.

 _I have been taken by two psychotic people to train their daughter to be a killer. When they spoke, I thought the girl would be a teenager at most. However, I was given a seven year old girl to teach. These people are sick, wanting me to teach a little child how to murder people using a whip. It takes years of harsh and painful training to master the weapon. People much older than the kid have even died trying to master it. However, when I met the girl, I was astonished. This…girl is not a child. She's a demon. She reacts how she wishes and even at this age, I can see the evil within her. I made a mistake. I should have just let them kill me. But…I could not just leave Isao, my dear beloved son, an orphan. One of these days, I will get out and return to him, who is safely back in Japan with the Organization. As for the girl, perhaps she is young enough to save. I will try my best to vanquish that consuming evil within her. I must give her morals, discipline, and love, even if I hate the girl._

 _-Risuka Tamashi_

Jasmine's hands shook as she read the entry. Risuka had a son? What was the Organization? She wasn't that surprised at what Risuka wrote about her being a demon. Back then, she certainly was. However, reading that last sentence made her heart feel as though it constricted. Could all of it have been an act? She flipped through other entries, lots of them recalling the training that day, and some even saying that she was impressed by her merit and persistence. Every entry, she spoke of Isao. It wasn't until she got to the date when Jasmine had asked Risuka to teach her to read did the woman truly begin to show true motherly affection. Jasmine smiled lightly at the memory. It had been the first time she called Jasmine Rina, which was the Japanese version of her name. Jasmine continued to flip through the entries then reached the end.

 _I am going to die. I have been held here for eight years. My son is now seventeen years old, and Rina is fifteen. I overheard those two insane criminals speaking. I was never meant to leave. Once I finished training Rina, my death would be inevitable. Even though Rina and I created an escape plan, I know that it isn't going to work. I wish it would, but in the end, I just had a feeling it will end in my death. I suppose, this will be my last lesson to Rina. I succeeded in teaching her good morals and showing her the faults of her parents. She came to me no better than a demon, and now she is like an avenging angel. This girl…I am honored to have been able to teach someone so worthy of these abilities. Of course, there are still so many things she needs to learn that I wish I could teach her. She still doesn't understand the impact a life has, and I hope that with my death, she will learn this. In a way, it will be my final lesson to her. I can only pray that Rina will find a way to get away from her predicament. I wish I could actually take her to Japan. She and Isao would get along well. They are so alike. At least, I think they are. I do not know how my dear son has changed over these many years. My biggest regret is never getting to see him again. I'm so sorry, my son._

 _P.S. Rina, if you ever find this diary, then I want you to read this carefully. Become better than what you are now. You have the skills to, and all you need to do is take the risk of leaving. You are better than living the life of a killer and causing people chaos and agony. I'm sorry that I had to leave you alone with Joker and Harley Quinn. Get away from them, and create your own life. I know you do not know the way of the world. It was impossible to teach you it without having you experience the outside world that you were barred from. However, I have heard of Joker and Harley speak of this Batman. Find him, Rina, and join his ranks. You belong there, not forced to be in the darkness. I love you, Rina, like you were my own daughter. I'm sorry we could not experience Japan together. Wield my whips with honor. Be strong, my girl I have faith in you._

Jasmine read the last passage multiple times, tears gathering in her eyes. Slowly, she closed her eyes and tilted her back against the windowsill. After about a minute, Jasmine came down from the windowsill and closed the window before shutting the diary. This was the life Risuka had wanted her to live. She couldn't betray that, and she had no desire to. As she turned, Jasmine was brought forwards and pulled to Dick's chest. She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck as he embraced her. She could feel the slight tremor in his body and she gently ran her fingers through his hair.

"Richard…" She breathed.

"I can't lose you, Jasmine…not like I'm losing Jason. I can't…" He said shakily but trailed off, and Jasmine was shocked. She had never seen Dick like this. The closest she had was yesterday night.

"I know…I'm sorry." She said to him quietly, pulling back a little. She met his eyes with hers, gazing at the anguish that was alight in them.

Gently, she moved her hands to his cheeks and ran her thumbs along his cheekbones before leaning forwards. Lightly, she pressed her lips to his and she felt his arms draw her closer before deepening the kiss. This kiss was different from the others they have shared. It was solemn, but was much more meaningful than any of the others.

Dick pressed her back against the wall gently, and their soft kisses slowly became those of passion. Jasmine shifted her hands down to his chest, feeling his heart racing beneath her fingertips just as hers was. Any lingering traces of that old darkness melted away, and a sense of peace came over her. He has saved her more than she could count and in so many different ways. She would have fallen from the good of the world if it weren't for him. She felt her hood being pulled away from her face and then unclasped. The dark gray fabric fell to the ground, like a lost memory and Jasmine broke the kiss for a moment, gazing up at him before smiling lovingly.

Then, they kissed once more with greater urgency and Dick pulled her legs up to his waist and used the wall as leverage to keep her up. Jasmine gently moved her hand into his silken hair and ran her fingers through the soft strands. Dick's lips left hers before he pressed them to her neck, leaving a trail off light kisses that went down to her collarbone. A soft gasp escaped her lips and she tilted her head back against the wall, her breath catching as he trailed his lips back up her neck before leaving her skin. Dick's lips brushed over hers, and they were about to kiss when a knock came at the door. The two of them both paused, looking towards the door for a moment. Sighting lightly, Dick released her legs one at a time so she could get her balance, then raised her hand to his lips lightly.

"You should probably get that."

Jasmine's heart was still pounding uncontrollably in her chest. Her cheeks were burning, and she was sure that they were a rather dark pink. Both she and his breathing were uneven, though starting to become normal once more. She couldn't help but feel a small spark of annoyance at whoever had knocked on the door, but nodded to what he said, a little speechless. Jasmine walked to the door with Dick following behind her quietly. She opened the door, expecting to see Alfred but was surprised as her eyes rested on Barbara. Barbara's eyes shifted between the two of them for a moment.

"What are you doing here, Grayson?"

"Just speaking with Jasmine. I was on my way out. Goodnight, Barbara." He said with a small smile, but like Jasmine had previously noted before, he was a rather terrible liar, considering he had rubbed the back of his neck and slightly averted his gaze from the red-haired girl before walked out of the room casually to go to his own.

Barbara followed him with her eyes before looking to Jasmine, "You and Dick are together, huh?"

"I…suppose you could say that," Jasmine said, feeling her cheeks flushing for a moment before she grew serious, "What do you need?"

"I just…I wanted to apologize. For earlier." Barbara said, looking away for a moment in what seemed like guilt before meeting Jasmine's eyes, "I was wrong to accuse you of being a participant in Jason's capture and tell you to turn yourself in. Even if your father put me in this wheelchair, and has done terrible things not only to the people of Gotham, but this family, you aren't him and you aren't Harley either. So, I'm sorry for the way I have treated you, and I hope that we can be friends." She said genuinely. Jasmine stared at her before smiling lightly and nodded.

"Thank you, Barbara. I would like to be friends rather than enemies as well." Jasmine said warmly and Barbara smiled in return, looking rather relieved.

"Have a good night, Jasmine." Barbara said, moving her wheelchair to the side and raising her hand.

"You too." Jasmine responded, raising her hand in response. She watched as Barbara rolled down the hallway for a moment before closing her door quietly. It seemed like things were beginning to be patched up…now all they needed was to bring Jason back home. Jasmine looked out the window, fixing her eyes on the full moon.

* _Hang in there, Jason. We haven't forgotten you.*_


	17. Chapter 17

***DC owns every character except Jasmine, though she was created from DC characters***

Chapter 17

"What is it, Bruce?"

Dick stood beside Jasmine and Alfred in the Batcave. His Nightwing suit and mask were in place, Jasmine was in her Batgirl suit and Bruce was Batman. Barbara sat before the Batcomputer quietly. The night had started out like every other night. They all went to look for Jason, as they had been nonstop. Of course, they still didn't have any leads. They simply guessed and hoped for the best at this point. None of Joker's men knew where he was keeping Jason because he was moved the night before, and any that had known were now dead. As for Joker and Harley, well, they hadn't been seen. Even the False Face Society, Joker's supposedly allies, didn't know. Catwoman said that nothing of interest had happened on the East side lately except for the False Face Society and their drug deals, though they seemed to be feuding with Penguin at the moment. She had been surprised to hear that Jason had been kept in a warehouse on the East side when she had been informed.

It was being called back from their searches that alarmed Dick. Bruce hated taking any time away from searching for Jason. Whatever he called them for couldn't be good, considering the solemn expression on his face. Well, he supposed Bruce was solemn by the way he was frowning since his mask covered the majority of his expressions and emotions. Due to this, fear had begun to spike in him and make his stomach churn. He hoped, prayed even, that Jason hadn't turned up dead. Anything but that. Despite his fears, Dick was able to conceal his unconfident emotions behind a serious cover-up. He had been trained to deal with situations that seemed hopeless, and to keep looking for a solution…to not give up. So, that was what he was doing. He wasn't going to give up. Not on his little brother, the one who took over his mantle as Robin.

With a glance to Jasmine, Dick recognized that she seemed to have her own cover-up, though hers was expressionless and closed off. Unlike him, he predicted that this was what she had been trained to do. Become cold and unfeeling. However, both of them had been taught something similar. Never give up. There was always a solution. Of course, their teachings on how to come to a conclusion had been different, but in the end, the wanted outcome was typically the same. Looking back forwards, Dick rested his gaze on his former mentor, whose hands were clenched into tight fists. Definitely not good news.

"Barbara. Bring up the situation on the Batcomputer." He spoke lowly.

"You got it, Bruce." She said quietly, turning her chair then types rapidly.

Dick and Jasmine turned towards the screen, both crossing their arms over their chest at the same time. After a few moments, an image popped up. It showed what seemed to be a giant jack-in-the-box with a large sign on the front saying "To: Batsy." It was resting on the scorched ground of a burned building. Beside him, Dick noticed Jasmine stiffen and frowned slightly but didn't speak just yet. He wanted to hear what Bruce had to say about the whole thing.

"Selina Kyle found this not too long ago. She took the picture and was able to contact me, where I transferred it onto a flashdrive. The place was a house near the Narrows that burned down approximately fourteen years ago." He spoke.

"It was the fourth house my parents had kept me in. The one that burned down." Jasmine said in a strong but also quiet voice. Dick grit his teeth at that. How odd. It was April the fourth, 4:38 in the morning, and Joker picked the fourth house he had kept Jasmine in before it burned down.

"That's what I figured. I brought the two of you back because I want both of you to stay here while I investigate." He said, looking to the two of them.

"Bruce, you can't-" Dick and Jasmine started at the same time before cutting off and looking at each other. Jasmine gave him a small nod, and he looked back to Bruce, stepping forwards a little.

"Bruce, you can't go alone. For all we know, this is a trap to lure and eventually kill you. Not having backup in such an obvious distraction like this…it could practically be suicide." He argued and Bruce let out a sigh.

"I already thought of that. However, I also considered the fact that this may be set up to take my attention away from the two of you so one of you, or both, could be easier targets. I can't risk anyone else being taken. I will not put either of you in risk like this. There is no debate in this, Dick. I go alone." He said lowly.

"Bruce, this could very well be exactly what Joker wants. You can't play into his hands like this. You trained us to handle situations like these. We are aware that we could lose our lives, but we are willing to risk them to save Jason." Jasmine spoke seriously and Bruce scowled.

"You may be willing, but I refuse to let anyone get taken or even killed because of my mistakes. You. Both. Stay. Here. Am I understood?" He said sharply in a clipped tone.

Dick frowned deeply, and even though he hated to stay here, he could also see Bruce's point. Dick himself has continually blamed himself for Jason not being saved yet, and he was only his adopted brother. Bruce…Bruce was his guardian. His father. He couldn't even begin to imagine the guilt eating his former mentor. If they were to switch sides, Dick knew that he would want to go alone as well. Bruce needed to fix the situation himself to truly forgive his mistakes, even if Bruce himself hadn't been the cause of Jason's disappearance. He still blamed himself.

Jasmine looked like she was going to argue, but Dick rested his hand on her shoulder, making her silent and look over at him, "Don't, Jasmine. Bruce needs to do this alone," He spoke to her gently before looking at Bruce, "We understand, but you better come back alive, Old Man." He spoke and caught the trace of a smile on Bruce's lips before he simply turned and climbed into the Batmobile and took off.

Silence stretched between Dick, Jasmine and Barbara. It was evident that all three of them not only feared for Jason, but now Bruce as well. If he didn't come back, then what would happen? Dick ducked his head a little, already knowing the answer. He had left when he had been 14, his mind already made up on the fact that he did not want to become Batman, and formed the Teen Titans. In the end, Dick had decided he wanted to be his own man and pave his own future. He grew as a hero and learned new techniques and skills beyond that of what he learned as Robin. He also realized that, unlike Bruce, he did not put the mission above everything else.

Dick became Nightwing, and when he and Bruce finally made amends, he saw that Bruce looked to him with what seemed to be respect. It was in that moment that he realized that he had accomplished his goal. He had become his own man, paved his own path. At that time, he believed that he was successfully getting away from Gotham. However, he was terribly wrong. It seemed that Dick had been unable to stay away from the large crime-filled city. Every time he managed to escape it, the cursed city lurked back up on him. It drew him back in. Dick knew, that despite all of his efforts he had made all these years, he would take the mantle as Batman. Gotham…Gotham couldn't strive without the Bat. It would fall to crime and chaos, and even though he tried to get away from it, Gotham was still his home. He was the only one who could take on Bruce's mantle and succeed him.

"Barbara, can you keep tracking him?" Dick eventually spoke up, and she looked over at him.

"Yes, of course." She spoke, pulling it up on the Batcomputer.

Dick gazed at Barbara, thinking back to when they had been younger. He had grown up with Barbara being Batgirl. Of course, he began his training as Robin at the age of eight. He went out on the streets at the age of nine. Barbara joined when he was ten years old. They went on so many missions together for many years, and though their relationship had been more of a competition at first, the two became close friends. Even now, Dick would consider Barbara to be one of his greatest friends. When he left and started the Teen Titans, his feelings for Barbara had bloomed into something more than simply friendship. Of course, he had turned his back to them and left anyways. When he was 18, he had completely left the Titans. His engagement to Koriand'r had failed, and he went to Bludhaven to become Nightwing. It was during this time that the two of them reconnected once again. In fact, they began to date. However, even their relationship ended in failure after about a year. Their paths had simply been going separate ways, and they both agreed to break up, though they still remained good friends, as they were presently.

"I'm going up to my room." Jasmine spoke suddenly, pulling Dick from his memories of the past. He realized that he seemed to be getting lost in his past quite a bit now. Never on purpose, but his mind would wander. Looking over, he watched as she walked to the elevator and sighed lightly.

"You know she isn't going to stay in her room, right?" Barbara spoke up once Jasmine had left and he chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, I know."

"She's kinda similar to Jason in that way. He used to say that he would go to his room, and Bruce and I would go out, only for him to swing in and join in on a fight out of nowhere. Bruce would be pissed but he was always so proud of himself, and I think in a way, Bruce would be proud of him too." She spoke fondly and Dick chuckled lightly.

"That's right. I remember the first time Jaybird did that. I had been astonished since I had never even thought to disobey Bruce like that when I had been Robin until the last year I was here."

"Jaybird…I haven't heard you use his nickname for a while." Barbara said, meeting his eyes and Dick looked down.

"When I had left for about two years without checking in, Jason seemed to have gotten bitter about the thought of me. I remember the first time I came back, I called him Jaybird and was met with bitterness and anger. After, I never called him it again. I had been confused at the time, but I understand now. I should have been there those two years. The least I could have done was check in now and then, but it was as though I had simply abandoned him and Bruce. If I were in his shoes, I would have been mad too."

"Dick, you can't blame yourself for-"

"Yes, Barbara, I can. I should have been here for him more than I was. As he's grown older, I've noticed how he seems to have a rather…bad temper. If I had been here for him, maybe he wouldn't feel like he has to contain it all the time. I know how hard it is to talk to Bruce sometimes, and I still pushed them from my mind." He spoke regretfully.

"You needed to figure things out for yourself during that time, Dick." Barbara spoke in a quiet voice and he smiled humorlessly.

"I need to go stop Jasmine from leaving. Call us if something happens." He said, not wanting to go any deeper into his past regrets.

Dick walked to the elevator and rode it up to the manor. It was the smell of hot chocolate that caught his attention as the door opened, and he frowned slightly before walking towards the kitchen. There, he found Jasmine sitting on the counter with a mug clasped in her hands. Her Batgirl mask was placed to the side. She looked over her shoulder as he entered, and seemed to force a smile in his direction before taking another sip. So she hadn't gone to her room to leave. This struck him in surprise but a genuine smile slowly came over his lips. She always was able to surprise him. Every time he thought he had the girl figured out, she did something he didn't expect.

"Do you have any hot chocolate left over?" He asked and she nodded, but didn't look over.

"Yeah. There's still some warm milk in the pot if you want a mug." She spoke, and Dick walked over, pulling a mug out from the cupboard. He took out some powdered chocolate and put a few spoonfuls into the mug before filling it up with the heated milk in the pot. He then walked over and sat on the counter next to Jasmine.

"Babs and I thought you were going after Bruce." He spoke, glancing over at her and sipped the hot chocolate. The temperature was perfect. Not too hot, but not too cold.

"If I'm being completely honest, I almost did. The thing was, I think I understand why you gave up the argument, and I saw the importance in him going alone. I just don't know what to do with myself…so I made hot chocolate. Standing silently and waiting for news that may or may not be positive makes me too anxious. I had to do something." She said softly, taking another sip of the drink.

"I'm glad you understand." He said quietly, studying her. While she was similar to Jason in small aspects, this moment expressed just how different they truly were. Jason would have been gone already.

"Is that so? Why is that?" Jasmine spoke, gazing over at him and he thought for a moment, wondering how he should respond.

"It shows that you look past the surface details. You look deeper into things, and you have a bit of empathy, which allows you to evaluate situations through different perspectives. It's an important trait to have." He explained and she smiled.

"I see. It's good I have this trait then, I suppose." She said softly.

The two of them sat beside each other quietly, sipping their hot chocolate. While they didn't speak, it wasn't awkward in the least. Both of them seemed to be lost in their own wandering thoughts. While Dick wished that word from Bruce would hurry up and arrive, it hadn't been nearly long enough for something to have happened. It had only been a couple of minutes. The two of them finished their drink at the same time, and Dick took the mugs to the dishwasher, placing them inside. Sure, usually Alfred did this stuff, but that didn't mean he never helped out here and there. Just as he was about to turn around, Jasmine's arms wrapped around him from behind, and he felt her press her against his back slightly. Gently, Dick rested his hand over his and lightly trailed his thumb along her hand.

"That thing my father left…I have a terrible feeling about it." She whispered and Dick turned his head to the side slightly.

"Yeah. Me too."

"It isn't just the box…it's also where it was left. I have a feeling that…this is the end of it, Dick." She whispered shakily and he felt his heart stop for a moment before he shook his head.

"No. Jason is still alive, and he will be by the end of the day. We are not too late." He said lowly and she was silently for a moment before gently pulled away. She turned him gently then cupped his face in her hands. He gazed down at her, seeing the sorrow in her blue-green eyes.

"Dick…I think you need to consider the fact that this may be it. That Jason is-"

"No!" He cut her off, "This isn't it, Jasmine. You're letting your pessimism alter your thoughts. That's all it is. We aren't too late." He spoke fiercely, pushing her hands from his cheeks.

"You're denial is altering your rationality." She said to him quietly and he gritted his teeth and brushed past her.

"I don't want to hear this."

"Dick, please just…"

"Leave me alone, Jasmine!" Dick said shortly, walking out of the kitchen and hurried towards his room in long strides.

Dick wasn't mad at Jasmine. In the back of his mind, he knew that she was absolutely correct. Everything she said was rational and made sense. However, he didn't want to wrap his mind around it. He didn't want to accept the possibility of Jason being dead even if the evidence could be leaning towards it. He had to believe that Jason was alive. The moment he believed Jason to be dead, the faster he would lose the hope that was driving him forwards. A spark of guilt ignited in him from how he had brushed Jasmine aside, but he also couldn't go back just yet.

Walking down the hallways, Dick stopped outside of Jason's room. He gazed at the door before turning the handle and slowly walked in. It was a tad messy, and looked as though it had been occupied recently. Of course, he knew better than to think that. There were a few articles of clothing on the floor and he bent down beside a blue and black jacket before slowly picking it up. He held it in his hands, gazing down at it before ducking his head. He had given this to Jason for Christmas last year, teasing that he was going to steal him from Bruce to become his sidekick, so he gave him a jacket that contained Nightwing's colors. It had been more of a joke than anything, since Dick would never try to take Jason as his sidekick, let alone have one, and Jason had smirked and basically said that he would never be his sidekick even if given the chance. Despite that, Dick had been delighted to see that Jason had worn the jacket quite a bit. Whenever he brought that up, Jason would play it off cool, saying that he was only wearing the jacket because it was the only one he owned that fit well. However, Dick knew that wasn't true, since if he went through his closet, he would find a few other jackets that were the same exact size.

Standing up slowly, Dick rested the jacket on Jason's unused bed then looked to his nightstand. Jason had the same picture that he had with the two of them. Smiling lightly, Dick walked over and picked up the familiar picture. That had been such a good day. Gently, he set it back down where it had been before pushing his hands into his pockets and walking out of the room. He nudged the door closed as he walked out before leaning back against it. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Dick…Bruce returned…you need to get down here now." Barbara's voice spoke in his ear from the communication device. Her tone had been solemn and he slowly opened his eyes before pressing a finger to the earpiece. * _Jaybird…you can't be dead…_ *

"I'll be right there."

Dick pushed off from the door and walked towards the elevator once again. As he passed the kitchen, he paused, but Jasmine wasn't there. Not that he really should have been expecting her, but a part of him had been hoping she would be. The sound of a door slamming made him jump, and Dick spun around, his eyes shifting around. What had that been? It was probably just Alfred…besides, he needed to get down to the Batcave. Shaking his thoughts from his head, he went through the secret passage down to the Batcave. As the elevator came to the bottom, he stepped out then made his way over to the Batcomputer where Jasmine, Alfred and Barbara were gathered around. Bruce was nowhere to be found.

"You said Bruce returned." Dick spoke, coming to a stop beside Jasmine. He glanced at her, knowing that he needed to apologize for earlier, but for now, he needed to focus on the situation at hand.

"He did. He tossed a disk onto the Batcomputer then stalked off without a word." Jasmine spoke up quietly.

"Another disk?" Dick murmured.

"So it seems. I'm going to play it now." Barbara said, but Alfred remained silent. Frowning lightly, Dick glanced over at the butler, whose head was slightly bowed. Dick could feel his heart speed up and his eyes slowly turned to the screen of the Batcomputer as the video came up.

Jason was sitting strapped to a chair. He looked shattered and broken. His Robin suit was torn and covered in blood. It was almost unrecognizable except for the 'R'' symbol on his left breast. There was a curved black mark in the shape of a 'J' on his left cheek where Joker had branded him from the video before this. His black hair fell over his eyes, casting his face in shadow for the most part. He wasn't even struggling. He was just sitting there. Joker made his appearance, and he could feel rage consuming him as he saw the deranged villain. Then, Joker began to speak.

"Who is it that you hate, Jason?" He spoke and Dick grits his teeth. Jason told Joker his name. Jason glanced up slightly at Joker, which could be seen how his head lifted just a bit, exposing his eyes. Dick thought that he saw a small defiant light building in the depths of his gaze, but it quickly died out. However, he did glance away from the camera slightly.

"Batman."

* _Jason…_ * Dick thought to himself, clenching his hands into fists. This was an act. That defiant look…he was playing Joker…protecting himself by saying what was expected.

"Excellent! Do you hear that, Bats? The kid is all mine, and I can do whatever I want to him," Joker spoke with a sadistic smile before walking towards Jason. He rested his hand on Jason's shoulder as he walked behind him, "You know, I never asked. What's the secret? Who is the bat? Tell me!" He ordered, then walked past Jason so that his back was facing the boy.

Jason was silent for a moment before he lifted his head, his blue eyes cold as ice. The gaze was so angry and filled with hate, "Screw y-" The abrupt sound of a gunshot rang out and Jason flew back from the chair before lying still on the ground. A small scream sounded out in the Batcave, but Dick didn't pay any attention to it, watching as Joker moved the camera so it was a more top view of Jason, who remained unresponsive and had blood flowing out from his chest close to where his heart was.

"The boy was rather annoyingly stubborn. I may have let him live if he had just did as he was told but…he proved to be a loyal little puppy to you until the end, didn't he Bats? Let this be a lesson to you not to drag you little friends into this crazy little game of ours." Joker spoke darkly before laughing like the psychopathic maniac he was. Then, the video came to an end.

Dick was frozen in place. He felt like he couldn't breathe...move…think…anything. He was aware of Barbara sobbing, since it was the only sound in the otherwise silent surrounding, but he didn't pay any attention to it. It was like what he just saw couldn't process. In fact, his eyes were still locked on the Batcomputer. Even at that moment, Dick couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he just saw Jason die. It took about a minute or two for it to finally sink in, and when it did, Dick stumbled to the side and shot his hand out, catching the wall. He leaned his weight on it, his breathing shaky. * _No, no, no, no, no…this can't be happening. Jason can't be dead. We still hadn't gotten any leads…we weren't even close to finding him. It can't all be over now. My little brother…Jaybird…the bullet surely it…it…_ * His thoughts raced, trying to come to alternate conclusions until it slowly trailed off. A tidal wave of sorrow crashed over him and he rammed his fist into the wall, gasping for breath. He needed to get out.

Dick spun on his heels and walked as fast as he could away from everyone else, getting into the elevator. As the door closed, he let himself sink down into a crouch and rested his head in his hands while pulling at his hair and squeezing his eyes shut. The video was replaying in his mind, though mostly focusing on the sound of the gunshot and Jason's body flying back before lying still, and then the image of Jason's chest wound. He could hardly even gather any thoughts of his own. It all just kept replaying in his head like a horror movie playing in a continuous loop. It was the small sound of the elevator getting to the manor and the doors opening that was able to clear his head for just a moment, and he stepped off before quickly making his way to his room. Dick slammed the door behind him then stared at the tidy surrounding. His eyes rested on his tack board, where files, papers and pictures were held up, all trying to pinpoint certain leads to where Jason had been being kept. Looking at it, his overwhelming grief was replaced by a sudden rage.

Stalking over, Dick tore the papers off of the board and ripped them, simply letting the papers flutter to the ground he did. When he threw down the rest of the papers, his hand made contact with something, which fell to the ground and gave a small cracking noise. It was enough to pull him from his blind actions. Glancing over, he saw that it was a small picture frame from his nightstand. Dick crouched down and picked up the picture. Of course, it was the one of him and Jason. Any of his anger dissipated as he looked at the photograph, and his sorrow returned at full force. Leaning back against the wall, Dick stared at the now cracked picture before pressing his forehead against it slightly.

 _*I should have looked harder. I could have done more than what I accomplished, which was, oh yeah, nothing._ * Dick thought to himself bitterly, his grip on the picture tightening. * _But what did I do? I let myself sleep during precious hours I could have been looking. I let that diversion trick me on the first night Jason had been taken. I hadn't been careful and let the person telling me Jason's location get shot in the head. I pursued Jasmine…who Jason had not only had feelings for, but also told me_ to give him a chance _._ * Dick thought to himself before setting the picture down gently and placed his head in his hands.

* _What kind of a hero am I? Scratch that, what kind of a_ brother _am I? I failed in both criteria. Everything I did was wrong or executed poorly. I couldn't save Jason. I-_ *

"Dick."

The softest of voices silenced Dick's thoughts for a moment. He hadn't even heard the footsteps leading up to his room, or the door opening. Slowly, he glanced up and saw Jasmine crouched in front of him. Her eyes were red, telling him that she had been crying, but any other evidence that she had been was unseen. Her blue-green eyes were filled with grief, sorrow, pain…but also concern. Even now, in her own turmoil, she still expressed worry for the others. Along with these emotions, deep in her eyes, Dick could see anger and hatred, not unlike the ones Jason had expressed right before he had been shot in the chest. It made him think back to the dark drawing he had found in one of the three houses she had been kept in. He understood that feeling much more now. Then, he began to realize that he hadn't answered yet.

"What is it, Jasmine?" He asked, surprised to hear the defeated and broken sound of his own voice.

"This wasn't you're fault." She said quietly, and he took a sharp intake of breath before getting to his feet and walking past her.

"Don't." He went to his closet and pulled his duffle bag out. It was still mainly packed from the first time he had left to return to Bludhaven. He only had a few other possessions he needed to pack up, which he quickly began to gather.

"Dick, you can't blame yourself for what happened. You did everything in your power-" She spoke and he let out a sharp, humorless laugh, which cut her off as he set down his collected possessions onto his bed before pushing them into the duffle bag.

"Right. Everything in my power. I'm still alive, aren't I? That means I didn't try everything." He spoke thinly and saw her shake her head before walking over. She rested her hand on his arm, which made him falter in packing for a moment.

"That's not true, and you know it Richard Grayson." She said to him in a low voice, though it seemed to shake faintly. Dick paused and glanced at her before looking down and closing his eyes painfully.

* _I don't deserve her. Not in the slightest. She deserves someone who is a better man than I am. How did I get the privilege of being with a woman who, despite her own anguish, can have the strength to try and console with me?_ *

"Don't leave, Dick. You can't be alone right now. Stay here, with Bruce, Alfred and Barbara…with me. We need you, just like you need us." She whispered and he could feel his composure slipping. His hands shook faintly at what he was about to do. If he didn't do it now, then he wasn't going to be able to. God…he didn't want to, but it was necessary. It was for her own good. It was then that he was grateful for the mask that covered his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he then turned towards her.

"Honestly Jasmine, you're the last person I need around me." He spoke, glancing at her. She seemed stunned for a moment, shaking her head slightly.

"I don't understand…" She breathed and he zipped the duffle bag closed and faced her.

"I. Don't. Need. You. Want me to elaborate further?" He said thinly before stepping past her. Just as he expected, she caught his arm to stop him then stepped in front of him.

"Dick, why are you acting like this? I know that Jason-" She began, but Dick cut her off.

"Jason is dead because of you, Jasmine. I never should have taken you from that house. You're a curse. It was a mistake, and now Jason has paid the price for it." He said to her coldly, watching as she her own composure began to crumble. He could see the confusion, pain and sorrow swelling within her with every word he attacked her with.

"But..you..you said that-" She spoke, her voice shaking, but Dick once against cut her off.

"God, Jasmine, don't you get it? I lied to you. I don't care about you, and I never did. Everything that happened between us was all an act to keep you on our side so we had a chance to find Jason and didn't have to deal with another petty criminal on the streets." He said harshly and he could practically see something in her shatter as she caught her breath.

"That's a lie…you're lying!" She said, her voice rising and Dick forced a smirk in her direction.

"It's the truth, Jasmine, and you know it." Dick said and brushed past her. He felt her catch his arm and spin him around, then tug his mask off, exposing his eyes. He gazed down at her anguish, tear-filled eyes as they bore into his.

"Prove it." She said shakily. Dick hardened himself mentally as he stared into her intense, heart-breaking gaze before leaning forwards a little.

"I could never love the daughter of Joker and Harley Quinn." He said slowly and coldly. At what he said, Jasmine let go of him and staggered back a step, looking almost dazed. His mask fell from her hands and he bent down and picked it up before straightening up. A single tear streaked down her cheek and he tore his eyes from her before fleeing his room, closing the door behind him.

The minute he was out of her sight, Dick slumped against the wall, and ducked his head, shadows casting over his features. He had to do it. He had to break her heart, or else she would never let him go and find someone she deserved to be with. Never would he forget the broken look on her face with every word he said, as though he were stabbing her over and over again. Each expression had pained him. Each statement he made, Dick had felt his own chest constrict, each one more agonizing than the last. Tears had begun to prick his eyes. * _I had to do it…for Jasmine. She'll find someone much better than me. I don't deserve the happiness I get when I'm around her._ * Dick thought to himself, slowly pushing off from the wall. * _I have to leave. I can't…I can't be here anymore._ *

Dick walked down the hallway and eventually made his way to the Batcave where his Nightbird rested. It was a vehicle much like the Batwing, but, well, his. Immediately he began to walk towards it, only to glance over as a figure began approaching him. Barbara. * _Please…just let me go…_ * He thought to himself, closing his eyes.

"Dick…what did you do?" Barbara asked in a hushed voice, standing before him.

"Get out of the way, Barbara." He said lowly, his voice wavering.

"What did you do, Dick?" She asked more forcefully, resting her hands on his shoulders and giving him a small shake. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. She had been in her own pain and sorrow, which was evident since her eyes were red, like Jasmine's had been…the mere thought of the blue-green eyed girl was like twisting a dagger in his chest.

"I crushed Jasmine," He said hoarsely and Barbara was silent, looking at him in in shock before pity and sympathy entered her eyes along with a small containment of anger.

"Oh, Dick, why would you do that? Jason wouldn't want you to be doing this to yourself!" She said sharply and he averted his eyes from her.

"Let me go, Barbara."

The red-haired girl's hand suddenly struck his cheek hard enough to make his head turn. His cheek stung from the slap, but he didn't care, "Stop doing this to yourself! Go fix what you just did!" She shouted and he winced before pushing her to the side.

"It's too late for that." Dick said wearily before climbing into the Nightbird. He started it up, tuning out Barbara as she shouted for him to stop, then directed the Nightbird out of the Batcave, and left the others behind. Being alone, his grief swelled to an almost overwhelming rate. The tears he had been containing ever since Jason was shot before him on that video fell from his eyes. His little brother was dead, and he destroyed anything he could have had with the women he handed his heart to.

Below him, Gotham continued on as if nothing had happened. The fight between good and evil pursued, as though the heroes of the large city hadn't just been torn apart.

The light and the dark resumed their never ending battle.

 _ **End of Book 1**_

 **I hope that you all enjoyed Light and Dark, and will like to read its upcoming sequel, Crimson Revenge! Thank you so much for reading and supporting me through my story! I should have Crimson Revenge's first chapter either posted by the end of this week or the beginning of next week. I will post a small note at the end of this story to tell my favorites and followers when it is posted. Thanks once again!**

 **-Bookreader777**


	18. Update

_**Hello my loyal followers, favorites and readers!**_

 _ **I have posted to let you all know that the first chapter of Crimson Revenge has been posted! I hope you all like the first chapter of Light and Dark's sequel! Thank you so much for your wait. Thank you again!  
-Bookreader777**_


End file.
